Stay
by Miara Rigawa
Summary: Seeing Inuyasha with Kikyou, Kagome runs away only to be kidnapped by Naraku. Her memory gets altered and she turns against Inuyasha, even tries to kill him. Can Inuyasha save Kagome and tell her that he had chosen her — not Kikyou?
1. Beneath the New Moon

A/N: My first attempt on writing an anime fanfic so don't expect too much. But I'm trying my best to write a good fanfic for all of you. Hope you enjoy!

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Note:

The _italicized_ _words_ are thoughts of the characters while the **bold words** are the reminisces of the past events done by the characters…

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

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Chapter 1

_**Beneath the New Moon**_

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"Kagome-chan! Where are you going?" Sango asked, looking at Kagome curiously.

Kagome brushed some grass off her skirt as she stood up and smiled. "Don't worry, Sango-chan. I'm just going to look for Inuyasha." Kagome said. "I haven't seen him ever since the sun began to set. He didn't even have dinner yet. I guess he's hiding again because of the moon." Kagome looked into the sky and sighed worriedly.

"The moon?" Sango looked up. "I haven't noticed—it's new moon tonight." She said.

Kagome nodded. "He probably lost his power that's why he's hiding," said Kagome. "He never wants to show his weak side..."

"You better talk to him, Kagome-sama." Miroku advised. "He's in the clearing past the forest." He said, pointing to the direction of the forest.

"Thank you, Miroku-sama." Kagome said, running into the forest.

Shippou stood up, preparing to go after Kagome. "Wait for me, Kago—"

Miroku held Shippou by the tail. "Don't." He said. "It's better to leave those guys alone."

Shippou sat down again and nodded. "All right," He sighed.

"You'll just spoil the night for them." Miroku said, looking at Shippou.

Sango nodded in agreement while Kirara gave a short purr.

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Inuyasha was sitting on the grass and was looking up at the sky. The sky was filled with stars and the wind blew softly through his long black hair.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed. "I always hate it when this time comes!" He growled as he crossed his arms in front of him.

Inuyasha heard someone walk towards him. He looked behind him and saw Kagome approaching him.

"Kagome," He said in a whisper.

"I was wondering if you're already hungry. You didn't come for dinner." Kagome said, smiling a little. She was already standing beside Inuyasha, not having any plans to sit beside him.

Inuyasha turned his back at Kagome. "Keh! I'm not yet hungry!" He said stubbornly.

Kagome sat beside Inuyasha and looked at him. "Well then, why are you staying here?" She asked worriedly to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked away from her. "I'm not obliged to tell you!" He answered sharply.

Kagome still stayed relax even though Inuyasha was being rude to her. She was now used to his temper. "Don't tell me you're still hiding because you lost your powers." Kagome said, looking concerned.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and gave her an irritated look. "It's not that!" He snapped.

"Oh, really," said Kagome, raising an eyebrow at Inuyasha.

"Hey! You don't believe me, do you?!" Inuyasha shouted.

"So what are you doing here then?" Kagome asked.

"Well..." Inuyasha looked down, looking shy about something.

"Well?" Kagome repeated curiously.

Inuyasha raised his head and looked into Kagome's eyes. "I've been thinking," said Inuyasha seriously.

"Thinking?" Kagome said.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, I'm thinking. So will you stop asking questions?!" Inuyasha said to Kagome with an annoyed look on his face.

"So..." Kagome began, looking suspiciously at Inuyasha. "You've started thinking about Kikyou again," She continued with that suspicious look still in her eyes.

To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha didn't deny it but instead, he nodded. "Yes. I was thinking about Kikyou..." Inuyasha confessed. "and _you_." He added.

"Eh?" Kagome said, rather surprised about what Inuyasha had said.

_"Me?" _Kagome thought._ "What would he be thinking about me?"_ Her heart began to beat faster.

"Well," said Inuyasha, slightly blushing as he scratched his cheek with his forefinger. "Even though you are Kikyou's reincarnation, you're not Kikyou." He continued.

Kagome was shocked to hear Inuyasha talking to her like that. _"Now, I never imagined Inuyasha would talk to me like this… What's with him tonight?"_ thought Kagome.

"Kikyou and you are different." Inuyasha said, looking down on the ground. "Although, you look like Kikyou, you are still different from her especially when I look into your eyes. Kikyou's already dead, but you, you're still alive—_just like me._"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said, almost in a whisper.

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, looking at her direction with a curious expression.

Kagome placed her hand on Inuyasha's forehead and moved her head near to his head so that their eyes were surely connected. She looked at Inuyasha seriously. "Are you sick?" She asked curiously, feeling Inuyasha's forehead with her hand. "Or maybe you're just hungry?" She said.

Inuyasha clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "Hey, Kagome! Can't you see I'm serious here?! So will you listen?!" He said, raising his voice a little. "And try not to fall asleep when I'm saying something as important as this!"

Kagome dropped her hand and clenched it too. "If you're serious then don't shout at me!!" Kagome said, totally shouting.

"I'm not shouting at you!!" Inuyasha said defensively. "You're the one who's shouting at me!"

"You were the one who started it!" Kagome replied.

"Keh!" Inuyasha stood up and turned his back at Kagome. "This conversation wouldn't work out!" He said to Kagome. "I'm going to sleep!" He added.

Inuyasha was about to walk away but Kagome held on the sleeve of his red coat.

"Hey, release me!" Inuyasha said, pulling his sleeve.

"Wait, Inuyasha." Kagome said. "I'm sorry. Please stay." Her eyes were so convincing that Inuyasha couldn't say no.

Inuyasha sighed in surrender, slumping back on the ground beside Kagome. He crossed his arms in front of him, looking angry with himself. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He growled.

Kagome looked up at the sky. "So what were you telling me a while ago?" She said, still not looking at Inuyasha but instead, she kept her eyes on the starry sky.

Inuyasha also gazed up into the sky. "Actually, I don't know why I'm telling this to you but, somehow, I feel that you must know." He said.

"Know what?" Kagome asked, looking confused at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha turned his head and faced Kagome. "Ever since I met you, I have changed my life. You taught me how to value life and how it feels to have friends. You always make me happy and you even healed the wound in my heart." Inuyasha said. "I'm very grateful for all the things you have done for me—for simply being with me."

Kagome smiled. "I-I'm also grateful to you, Inuyasha. I want to say thank you for always protecting me and for saving me in times that I get into trouble. You were always worried about my safety and I appreciate it very much." Kagome said. She couldn't believe it! Inuyasha was actually telling her how he felt! It was too good to be true...

_"Kagome, you know I'll protect you 'till the end..."_ Inuyasha thought, looking thoughtfully at Kagome. "But Kikyou," said Inuyasha. "She's part of my life and I also have to protect her. I just can't let her die again—I can't forget her. I'm sorry about that." Inuyasha looked at Kagome with apologetic eyes.

Kagome looked down. _"I knew it! Even though, I've healed his wound... he still has a scar that will always remind him of Kikyou. He really can't forget Kikyou... Does this mean he still loves Kikyou?—No, I don't want to know the answer—because, it will only hurt me if I will know." _She thought._ "But still, I want to stay beside you, Inuyasha..."_

She raised her head and smiled softly at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was surprised to see her smiling after what he had just said. But somehow, there was a trace of sadness in her eyes....

"You don't have to forget her," Kagome told Inuyasha. "I understand."

"I hope you'll still be by my side—forever." Inuyasha said.

Kagome smiled again. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I will be by your side—forever," she continued. "That is, if you would let me—even if Kikyou's there in your heart." Even with her smile, Inuyasha could see sorrow in her eyes.

"Kagome," whispered Inuyasha. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek. "Please stay with me, Kagome. I don't want to lose you." He said.

Kagome's heart began to race again. The touch of Inuyasha's hand on Kagome's cheek was light and gentle like the breeze. She wasn't expecting this from Inuyasha.

_"Now, what is happening? Inuyasha's really acting weird!" _Her mind thought, confused with all the things happening to her. Not knowing how to act in this kind of situation, Kagome suddenly stood up and said, "I'll just get something to eat!"

Inuyasha immediately stood up and held Kagome's hand to stop her from leaving. "Wait," Inuyasha said softly. He slowly pulled Kagome into him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, not being able to move.

"I've been wanting to do this since you came over this clearing." Inuyasha said. "Your scent...I like your scent," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Kagome still in his arms. "Very much."

Kagome gulped as she felt herself blushing. She didn't know what to do; it was like her body was too weak to do anything. _"Why am I acting like this???"_ Kagome thought to herself. _"And what's happening to Inuyasha?!" _

"You already told me that the first time I saw you become black-haired. And I'll ask you again—I thought my scent makes you sick?!" Kagome said, relieved that she didn't lose her voice like the way she lost her strength.

"I'll also say the same answer that I said last time—it was a lie." Inuyasha said, he placed a hand on Kagome's head to hold her tighter.

"Inuyasha, what's happening to you? Are you okay?" Kagome asked just to make sure that everything was for real.

Inuyasha gently broke the hug and looked into Kagome's eyes. Her eyes were looking back at him with a questioning look. "I know it's not like me but—I really wanted to have you close to me a while ago. I'm sorry if I'm acting weird for you that I'm confusing you already. Maybe, someday, I'll be able to tell you the thing I'm still undecided..." Inuyasha said.

"Still undecided?" Kagome repeated. She wasn't sure what was happening to both of them. She wasn't sure if Inuyasha was serious about all the things he was saying and doing. Kagome wasn't even sure if the Inuyasha in front of her was the Inuyasha she knew—the Inuyasha she loved so much.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's eyes with a serious expression painted on his face and placed his hand on Kagome's cheek. "Undecided on how," Inuyasha paused. "how I feel about y—Kikyou!" Inuyasha dropped his hand quickly and looked at the sky above them. "Kikyou's somewhere near here!" He cried.

Kagome also looked up and saw the soul-catcher _youkais_ of Kikyou's flying high above them.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome as if waiting for her to say something.

Kagome bit her lip to stop herself from exploding in anger and looked angrily at Inuyasha. "What are you waiting for?! Staring at me as if you wanted me to come with you?!" She yelled at Inuyasha. "Go and follow those _youkais_ and go to Kikyou! You don't need my permission!" Kagome shouted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Hey! What's the matter with you?!" Inuyasha asked, his temper rising little by little.

"What's the matter with me?!" Kagome asked him. "I'll ask you the same question! You're a big fat liar, Inuyasha!! I hate you!! LIAR!!!!!!!" Kagome shouted at the top of her lungs. She turned her back at him and started to walk away.

Inuyasha was covering his ears while Kagome was shouting but the words still went through his ears. "Why are you calling me liar?!" He asked Kagome, walking fast to catch up with her.

Kagome stopped walking and faced Inuyasha. "You're a liar and a fake! You make me sick! I hate you so much! I don't want to see you again!!!" She shouted continuously, her face was so red with anger.

Inuyasha looked annoyed. "Why are you mad all of a sudden?!" He asked, starting to get irritated.

"Because you're a liar! You tricked me... making me believe that all the things you told me a while ago were true! YOU'RE A LIAR!!!!" Kagome continued to shout at Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Come back here! I didn't do anything wrong!" Inuyasha said, running after Kagome.

"Sit!!!!!" Kagome shouted. "Stop following me!"

Inuyasha obediently crashed into the ground. "Hey!" He cried.

Kagome looked at him with narrow eyes, still looking very angry. "Wrong! Everything you did tonight was WRONG!!!" She told Inuyasha. "I won't come back here anymore!" She shouted.

After the spell wore off, Inuyasha stood up immediately and growled. "You're so immature!" He hissed.

"Look who's talking!" Kagome looked at him, her eyes burning with fury. "I'm so tired of you!" She shouted and ran towards the forest.

Inuyasha bent down, taken aback by Kagome's words. "Shish! Why does she keep on saying 'sit!' every time we fight. She's so unfair!" Inuyasha grumbled. He looked at the direction where Kagome had run and sighed. "Kagome, she's mad at me—again." Inuyasha looked disappointed and pained, remembering how Kagome shouted at him.

**"I'm so tired of you!" Kagome shouted and ran towards the forest. **

Inuyasha looked up to the black sky and said, "Kagome, all the things I've told you weren't a lie—that was the truth within my heart..."

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Kagome was walking in the forest, heading back to their camp.

"I really hate it when he does that!!!" Kagome complained to herself. "One moment he's saying good things about me and the other moment afterwards he'll be seeing Kikyou and shouting _'Kikyou!'_, forgetting all about me." Kagome said. "I mustn't have believed him easily… He said all those wonderful things but they were all lies. Inuyasha's only acting like that because he's a human tonight." She looked up into the sky and sighed. "After the new moon, he'll be _hanyou_ again." Suddenly, she stopped walking and felt a soft breeze blow through the trees around her. _"But something in my heart tells me to believe in him…"_ She thought to herself.

A sudden rustling of leaves disturbed Kagome.

"I told you to stop following me!" Kagome said and turned around, expecting to see Inuyasha.

But it was Shippou with a confused look on his face.

"Huh?" Shippou said, looking at Kagome.

"Shippou-chan?" Kagome said, rather disappointed that it wasn't Inuyasha who had followed her. "Why are you here?"

"Miroku said I better follow you because you were taking too long…" Shippou answered. "Where's Inuyasha?" He asked, looking around.

Kagome suddenly became hotheaded again and said, "He's still over there. Thinking about his beloved Kikyou!" Kagome looked behind her to the direction where Inuyasha was. "I hate—him—so much!!!!!" Kagome shouted the words with so much anger.

Shippou looked scared and said to Kagome, "Wha-what happened?"

Kagome's eyes darkened. "You want to know?" She asked Shippou with a scary voice.

"I-I think I don't want to know anymore…" Shippou said, backing away. "You go ahead. I-I'll just go get Inuyasha…" He said and ran away to Inuyasha.

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha…" She murmured sadly.

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"What do you think happened to Kagome and Inuyasha?" Sango asked Miroku while she played with Kirara.

"Perhaps they're getting along well or they're fighting again." Miroku said in an 'It's-Obvious' way.

"I like the first one more." Sango told him.

"But I think, it's the second one that happened…" Miroku said, looking at the forest.

Kagome was walking towards them, her hands clenched into fists in rage.

Miroku whispered to Sango, "I think it's better if we do not ask her anything."

Sango nodded.

Kagome looked at Sango then at Miroku, then sat down beside Sango silently.

None of the three dared to break the silence.

After a while, footsteps were heard from the forest.

The three of them and Kirara looked to see who was coming. Inuyasha was walking his way towards them, eyes looking straight at Kagome.

"Inuyasha, don't!" Shippou said, trying to stop Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stopped and turned to Shippou. "Will you mind your own business?!" He shouted.

Inuyasha continued to walk and stopped in front of Kagome. His face was now calm and he looked neither angry nor sad. He was serious.

Kagome looked up at him but didn't stand up. She just glared at him, waiting for what he had to say.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Kagome."

"What?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow. _"If Inuyasha will say sorry, I'll forgive him so we can talk again. I just have to control my temper." _She thought.

Inuyasha looked into her brown eyes intently.

_"I can't believe it. He'll say sorry to me!"_ Kagome's heartbeat was now racing.

"Say sorry to me." Inuyasha said with a demanding voice.

Kagome clenched her fists again and her eyes darkened. "What?!" She exclaimed, immediately standing up. "Why should I?!"

"Because you acted so immature a while ago." Inuyasha answered, not even raising his voice a bit.

"Why you—you!" Kagome's face was so flushed in wrath.

Miroku immediately stood up and went to Inuyasha. "Come on Inuyasha. You're only making her madder." Miroku said, trying to stop Inuyasha from talking anymore.

Sango also stood up and patted Kagome on one shoulder. "Kagome-chan. Please calm down…"

"Kagome, can't you see I'm helping you out? If you'll just apologize to me, I'll forgive you." Inuyasha said, even though Miroku was covering his mouth a while ago. He had bitten the lecherous monk's hand to keep him from blocking his mouth. "The problem with you is you're so naive! You always talk too much and you never even bother to listen to me!" He added, making their fight worse.

Kagome had taken more than enough. She threw one last look at Inuyasha and faced Sango. "Sango-chan, I'll borrow Kirara. I'm going home." She said and took her bag.

"That's it! Go home! You always do that when you're too immature to say sorry." Inuyasha shouted at Kagome. "It's nothing new to us!" He turned away from Kagome; his arms crossed in front of him arrogantly.

Kagome ignored him and started climbing on Kirara.

"You want something new? How 'bout this?" Kagome said, shooting glares at Inuyasha's direction. "I'm not going back here anymore!!!" She yelled and started to rise up with Kirara.

"Hah! You always say that but you always come back!" Inuyasha shouted back. "We'll see how long you'll last this time!"

"That's right, Inuyasha!" Kagome retorted. "You'll really see!"

And she was gone.

Inuyasha slumped on the ground, his arms crossed. "What a bitch!" He complained.

"I think Kagome-sama was really mad, don't you think Inuyasha?" Miroku said, looking at Inuyasha.

"She'll come back, you'll see," Inuyasha said, lying on his side and not facing the others.

_"But what if she wouldn't come back anymore?"_ Inuyasha thought. He felt guilt arising within his heart. He pushed the feeling aside and reassured himself. _"She'll come back."_ He thought to himself. _"She must…"_

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A/N: Thanks for reading this first chapter! How about giving me a review to make me happy? Well, I'll be posting the next chapter soon so the more the reviews are, the more inspired I am to continue! Thank you. Inuyasha and Kagome forever!!!


	2. Feelings After Separation

A/N: Okay, this is really fun! Thanks for those who reviewed and I'm sorry the first chapter was dull. Let's check this one, I'm sure this is better. Please review. I love those who'll review this chapter so I may know if I'm having any readers or something. Anyway, enjoy! '

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Disclaimer: Of course, the characters aren't mine. They are Ms. Takahashi's and I'm just borrowing them. Well, Inuyasha and Kagome here are fighting even though they really care about each other… Result? Annoying but funny… '

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Chapter 2

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Feelings after Separation

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After Kagome left the feudal age, Inuyasha jumped up to a nearby tree and sat there, his back rested on its trunk.

"A few more hours and I'll be back to normal," He said impatiently, sounding his knuckles again and again. He looked into the sky above him and sighed. _"I wonder when she will return…"_ He thought subconsciously. "Nah!" Inuyasha scolded himself. "Why must I think about her?! She'll return in no time." He said, shaking the thought out of his mind.

Miroku looked at Inuyasha and shouted, "Hey Inuyasha! Will you keep it down there! We're trying to sleep here!"

Inuyasha ignored him and looked away. "What a nuisance!" He complained.

"Houshi-sama, just leave Inuyasha alone. He needs to do some thinking." Sango told Miroku, placing a blanket over a sleeping Shippou beside her.

Miroku sighed and said, "But he's not thinking. All he does is babble and complain up there."

"Well, we can't stop him, can we?" Sango said, shrugging.

Miroku sat near Sango and looked up at Inuyasha. He crossed his arms in front of him and said, "Why does he always act like a child? I always feel sorry for Kagome-sama that she has to deal with such a jerk."

Sango nodded. "I wonder how Kagome-chan manages to cope with him until now…" She said.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted and threw an annoyed look at them. "I thought you were going to sleep already?! So why are you still awake and talking about me?!"" He grumbled, raising a clenched fist at them.

Miroku sighed. "Relax, Inuyasha. We were about to do that now…" He said, trying to calm Inuyasha. "He's such a hotheaded boy." Miroku whispered to Sango.

"Who are you calling hotheaded?!" Inuyasha shouted demandingly.

"I said I'm going to sleep," said Miroku, trying to change the topic.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said then looked back to the sky. A soft breeze blew by, making Inuyasha smile victoriously. _"She's coming," _He thought.

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"Hey! Inuyasha!" Miroku called out. "Kagome-sama has come back!"

"I knew it!" Inuyasha thought. _"She'll return sooner or later,"_ Inuyasha sighed in relief.

"As if I care!" He shouted back at Miroku, not looking down to see Kagome.

Kagome ignored Inuyasha. _"That jerk!" _She thought to herself, anger boiling once more. She smiled at Miroku and Sango then said, "Well, it's too dark to travel so I decided to stay here and go home first thing in the morning."

"It's okay, Kagome-sama," said Miroku. "I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't mind," He added, looking up at Inuyasha, who was still up on the tree.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed.

"I wonder when will we be able to fix this mess…" Kagome thought sadly. _"It's his fault anyway. He's such a jerk!" _She thought, glaring fiercely at Inuyasha.

Kagome began to undo her sleeping bag. She slowly lay down and looked into the sky.

_"I'll leave this place early tomorrow. That will teach Inuyasha!" _Kagomethought And with that thought still in mind, she finally fell into a deep slumber.

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Inuyasha, on the other hand, stayed awake and looked down at the others.

"Kikyou! She's somewhere near here!"

"Is it my fault?" Inuyasha asked himself softly, looking down at Kagome, who had her eyes closed by now. "Hmph! She's just so childish!" Inuyasha said to himself.

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The glorious sun began to show up on the horizon. Inuyasha was back to normal—a _hanyou_. Inuyasha yawned and looked down.

Kagome was packing her things with the help of Sango.

"Kagome, will you return soon?" Inuyasha heard Shippou ask Kagome.

"Well…" Inuyasha heard Kagome answer. "It all depends to _someone_ here who _never_ understood me." Kagome threw an accusing look at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked away from her, his arms folded haughtily. "Don't go back here anymore!" He snarled.

Kagome placed her bag over her shoulder and sighed. "Well then, he said it himself. I'm not going back here! Good-bye everyone." She said and climbed to Kirara. "I'll just borrow Kirara again, all right?" said Kagome to Sango.

Sango nodded. "Have a safe trip, Kagome-chan!" She said.

Kagome nodded and soon afterwards, Kagome and Kirara were gone.

"Hey Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha looked down at Shippou. "What?" He asked with an annoyed tone.

"Aren't you going to go and apologize to Kagome?" asked Shippou.

"Why should I? She's the one who should apologize." Inuyasha said, leaning back on the tree.

"We're never going to get any Shikon shards if we don't fix Inuyasha and Kagome-sama's problem soon." Miroku said, shaking his head side to side.

"But what can we do?" Sango said. "Inuyasha's just too stubborn to go and talk to Kagome-chan." She added.

"If you want me to talk to her, she must go here herself!" Inuyasha said and went off.

"Where do you think he will go?" Sango asked Miroku.

"Probably to Kaede-sama's place because her place is near the Bone-Eater's Well," answered Miroku.

"We better follow him then," said Sango. "At least we can watch over him so he doesn't do another thing that will anger Kagome-chan."

"You're right," Miroku agreed as he stood up to get his staff.

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Kirara swiftly went down and Kagome climbed down carefully.

"Thank you, Kirara." Kagome said, stroking Kirara's fur. "You can go back to the others now."

Kirara purred to say good-bye and then flew away.

Kagome breathed in heavily and sighed. "That Inuyasha! He never understood my feelings! He's such a jerk!" Kagome grumbled to herself. "He didn't even know what he did wrong!" Kagome threw her bag down the well. She sat on the rim of the well and looked back at the bushes. "Well, I'm sure he won't be needing me anymore so… _sayonara_, Inuyasha…" She said and jumped into the well.

Inuyasha was hiding behind one of the trees surrounding the well, watching Kagome leave. "You fool!" He said seriously. "I still need you! —and I will always need you," He said, leaving his hiding place and walking towards the well. "What a stubborn girl!" He complained, looking down at the well. "Keh! She'll be back, I'm sure of it!" He said confidently but looked at the sky with doubt in his eyes. He placed his foot on the rim of the well, ready to jump in. "Keh! Why am I so worried about her?!" He snapped as he stepped back. He turned his back from the well and walked away with his temper rising again.

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"Neechan!" Souta cried in surprise when he saw Kagome enter the house. "Why are you back so early?!" He asked her.

"Well, this is my home. So I'll be back here whenever I want." Kagome answered, walking towards her room. "Where's jiichan? And Mama?" Kagome asked Souta.

"Jiichan is cleaning the backyard and Mama went to buy some groceries," replied Souta. "Neechan, did Inuyasha-niichan and you have another fight?" He asked curiously.

Kagome suddenly became hot-tempered again and said, "That selfish jerk! He's just so impossible!"

"You _did_ have a fight," Souta concluded, having a 'Here-We-Go-Again' expression on his face.

"It's his fault! Because he's a complete idiot!" Kagome said with an angry look on her face.

"But neechan, maybe you didn't even give him a chance to explain," said Souta.

Kagome was taken aback by Souta's words. _"Maybe…" _Kagome thought. _"But with that look on his face, he seems to be telling me that I'm the one who caused the fight! Why did he have to confuse me like that if he didn't really mean it?! I just can't understand him sometimes!"_

"Neechan?" Souta looked at his sister.

"Will you leave me alone please? I want to take a rest." Kagome said, her voice was rather compelling.

"O-Okay." Souta said, closing the door behind him.

Kagome sighed and went towards the window of her room. She opened it and began stretching. "I guess I'll be staying here for a while." She said, looking at the sun. "I wonder what he's doing now?" She said, thinking about Inuyasha. "Probably looking for his dear Kikyou," Kagome said sadly, walking towards her bed and sitting down. "I'll be going to school tomorrow, maybe things will lighten up for me…" She lay on her bed and immediately fell asleep.

-

"Kagome?"

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and saw her mother, smiling. "What is it, Mama?" She asked, sitting up.

"We're having dinner." Her mother said, smiling.

Kagome looked at the window; the sun had long been gone. "I must have dozed off too much," She smiled at her mother. "You go ahead, Mama, I'll just follow afterwards."

"Okay, then." And she left.

-

"Kagome, so what's new in the Sengoku Jidai?" Jiichan asked his granddaughter while nibbling his chopsticks.

"Nothing much," said Kagome with a bored expression.

"Are you sure?" Jiichan said, trying to make Kagome speak out.

"It's okay, jiichan. I'm fine, really." Kagome answered with a soft smile on her lips.

"Something tells me her smile is a fake," whispered Jiichan to Souta.

Souta nodded and whispered back, "Neechan fought again with Inuyasha-niichan."

"I see…" Jiichan said, looking at Kagome.

"Jiichan, Souta, what's the whispering all about…" Kagome said, looking suspiciously at them.

Jiichan and Souta forced themselves to look innocent and said in chorus, "Nothing, nothing."

Kagome raised her eyebrow at them. "Really?" She said, giving them one last questioning look. "Okay! I'm finished!" She said happily, standing up and bringing her plate to the sink.

"You can rest now Kagome. I'll do the washing," said Mrs. Higurashi kindly.

"Thanks, Mama!" Kagome cried thankfully and walked out of the room to her bedroom.

"I wonder if Inuyasha will ever come here to drag me back… Somehow, I miss the way he comes here to drag me back to the well…" Kagome thought as she opened the door of her room and went in. _"I guess he wouldn't come for me this time because his mind's so narrow," _She thought then sighed. She walked to her drawer and took out her hairbrush. She sat on a chair in front of her mirror and started combing her hair. "I guess it's better this way…" Kagome stood up and returned the brush on her drawer. "I must sleep now, I have to wake up early if I want to go to school tomorrow." She sighed as she rested her body on her bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

-

Meanwhile, back at Sengoku era, the sky was dark but it was filled with tiny stars. Inuyasha was standing next to the well, looking at it. "Kagome must still be mad at me…" He said sadly. He sat down and peered into the well. "Should I go to her?" He asked himself. "Somehow, I feel guilty about it but then why did she have to be _very_ angry about something like that?" Inuyasha growled, looking completely angry with himself.

Unknown to Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippou were watching him while they hid behind the bushes.

"Do you think Inuyasha will go to Kagome?" Shippou asked Sango.

Sango looked at Shippou and said, "He's so stubborn but I'm sure they'll work things out, don't you think, Houshi-sama?"

Miroku looked at her and said, "I hope you're right. Let's go back and leave him alone."

The three left Inuyasha, looking rather depressed about the situation.

"Maybe it wouldn't be bad if I just check on her tonight. I bet she's already asleep," Inuyasha said, jumping into the well without any hesitation.

-

Kagome woke up suddenly and looked around her room. "Eh? I thought I heard someone enter my room." She said, taking one last look around her room, making sure she didn't miss anything. She stood up and opened her window to look around. A soft breeze entered her room. "Inuyasha?" She said, looking hopefully around for him. But there was no one around.

"Why am I fooling myself? He won't come here," Kagome told herself, closing the window again and returning to her bed. She pulled the blanket up to her neck and drifted back to sleep.

-

Inuyasha jumped out of the well and silently leaped to the window of Kagome's room. He gently slid the window open and entered. "Just like I thought," Inuyasha said, looking down at Kagome. "She's sleeping." Inuyasha squatted in front of Kagome's bed and watched her as she slept on. _"She seems to be all right… I guess she's never worried about our fight because… she's safer here." _He thought, sighing. _"Maybe we should leave things this way so she wouldn't get into any more troubles," _Inuyasha thought. _"But, I feel bad about the thought of us breaking up…" _Inuyasha suddenly blushed deeply. _"Eh? What am I thinking?! Kagome and I aren't even having that kind of relationship!" _He scolded himself.

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome curiously. "Geez! She's talking again in her sleep!" Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha," Kagome spoke again, her head leaning forward to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha just stared at her with an alarmed look on his face and said, "I hope she wouldn't say the word—"

"Sit." Kagome said flatly.

Inuyasha immediately splattered into the floor. "Shit!" Inuyasha cursed. "Why does she always say that word when she dreams about me." He complained.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered again.

"What now?" Inuyasha said, sounding annoyed as he sat up again.

"Please come here and get me. I want to go back…" Inuyasha heard Kagome's soft words. "I_ miss _you already. " Kagome added gently.

Inuyasha was surprised to hear those words from Kagome. "Kagome…" He whispered. "She misses me? I…"

Inuyasha was cut when he heard Kagome's alarm clock ring.

"Damn! That thing again! Why does it always have to scare me?!" He groused, immediately jumping out of the window. "I also want you to go back, Kagome…" He said, leaping into the well.

Inuyasha walked back towards Kaede's hut to see Miroku and the others.

"I have decided," Inuyasha thought, looking completely serious. _"If Kagome doesn't come here until tomorrow's sunset, I'll go and get her."_

"And where did you go just now?" said Miroku, disturbing Inuyasha from his thoughts.

"And why do you think should I tell a lecherous _bouzu_ like you?" Inuyasha said, looking at him teasingly.

Miroku said, looking pissed off, "I guess you went to pay Kagome-sama a visit, am I right Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha suddenly flushed, looking a little guilty. "Keh!" He said, trying to sound calm. "Why would I visit that wench?!"

Miroku sighed. "You don't have to admit it." He said, smirking at Inuyasha. "Because it's too obvious already…"

It was Inuyasha's turn to get pissed off. "I didn't visit that wench!" He said defensively.

Miroku looked as if he didn't hear what Inuyasha had said. "I guess you were worried about her so you went to check on her," he said, enjoying the way Inuyasha's face looked.

"Why should I be worried about such a hardheaded girl like her?!" Inuyasha asked, his cheeks burning.

"Because she's a special girl for you," Miroku continued to tease Inuyasha.

"Keh! Whatever!" Inuyasha said, flushing because of both guilt and anger as he walked off.

"What an idiot!" Miroku said, watching Inuyasha leave.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha shouted.

-

Meanwhile, back at Kagome's room, Kagome stopped her alarm clock and stood up. She immediately noticed the open window of her room.

"It's open?" Kagome said. She walked to her window and looked around outside. The whole place was still quiet and no one was around. "Could it be… Inuyasha?" She asked herself. "No," She reminded herself. "It couldn't be him because he's still mad at me so he won't come here. I guess I left the window open last night." But in her heart, she was wishing that Inuyasha did really come for her. "Better get ready for school now." She said and went to the bathroom.

-

"I'm going!" Kagome said cheerfully as she stepped out of their house. She walked past the temple where the enchanted well dwelt and stopped. _"Maybe I should go and check out how the others are doing," _thought Kagome. "But what if Inuyasha and I fight again," Kagome sighed and entered the temple. She peeked into the well but saw nothing but darkness. The well was so deep that she couldn't see the bottom of it. "Inuyasha! Why are you taking so long? Are you still mad at me?!" Kagome shouted into the well, her voice creating an echo. "I want to go back. So will you please come here already?!" She yelled. Kagome paused, her gaze still on the well. "What am I dong?" She said, looking up into the ceiling of the temple. "Why am I talking to the well? Inuyasha wouldn't hear me even if I shout at the well…" She told herself. _"Except if he's down there," _She thought, looking down expecting to see Inuyasha. But she only saw darkness. She sighed. "I want to go back but I'm scared that Inuyasha will dismiss me." She said then looked at her watch. "WHAT?! I'm going to be late!!!" She said, hurriedly running outside the temple and towards her school.

Right after Kagome had left, Inuyasha jumped out of the well and sat down on the edge of the well. "That stupid girl! Why would she be scared to come back?! I'm not angry with her anymore. Why should I be the one to come here and get her?!" Inuyasha complained. "But if that's the only way to make her come back…" Inuyasha jumped back into the well. "I'll do it." He said as he jumped out of the well and into Sengoku Jidai.

-

Kagome's classes had ended shortly after she had a test on Geometry. She was preparing to leave the school when her friends went to her.

"It's good that you had recovered from the infection that you had in your eyes." Ayumi said to Kagome.

"Infection? In my eyes?" Kagome thought. _"Jiichan!!!!!"_ She made a mental note that the moment she got home she'd be talking to her grandfather once and for all! "Yeah… I guess." Kagome replied.

"So how's your selfish, violent, arrogant and won't commit boyfriend?" Yuka asked.

"Is that Inuyasha?" Kagome thought.

"Don't pretend that you don't know anything!" Erri scolded, looking at Kagome suspiciously.

"Well…" Kagome started. "We had another fight and we never saw each other again."

"What's the reason?" Ayumi asked.

"He's a two-timer! Even if he's with me, he thinks about his ex-girlfriend!" Kagome's temper began to rise.

"That's why we told you to dump him!" Yuka said. "That boy doesn't deserve you, Kagome."

"Higurashi!"

"But that one deserves you rightfully." Erri said when they saw who was calling Kagome.

"Houjo-kun!" Kagome said.

"Go to him." Yuka whispered to Kagome.

Kagome was about to object but she already found herself face to face with Houjo.

"I was wondering if you're going to do anything this afternoon. Maybe I can invite you to have a snack then I'll walk you home." Houjo said with his usual friendly tone.

"Maybe I should go, so I can forget Inuyasha for a while…" Kagome thought. "I'm…"

"She will go!" Yuka immediately said.

"Yeah, she'd love to go!" Erri added.

"Hey!" Kagome said. "You should have let me answer for myself!"

Yuka pulled her closer to her and whispered, "Kagome, you should forget that boyfriend of yours and just date with Houjo."

"You will go, wouldn't you?" Yuka asked.

"O-okay. I'll go." Kagome finally said.

-

Inuyasha was walking towards the well, planning to pay another visit to Kagome just to see if she was doing fine.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha looked back and saw Shippou running towards him. "What?" He asked, looking annoyed at the little kitsune.

"Are you going to get Kagome now?" asked Shippou hopefully.

"Why should I?" Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha! You should go and get Kagome."

"Kaede-babaa?" said Inuyasha. "Why is it that all of you are pushing me to get Kagome back?" Inuyasha said with an irritated tone.

"Because we're running out of time, stupid." Kaede replied to Inuyasha. "Naraku is already searching for the remaining Shikon shards while you are fighting ridiculously with Kagome."

"She's the one who started it!" Inuyasha said.

"I don't care who started the fight! It wouldn't end if no one would give in. Kagome was always the one who gave in. Why not do that this time, Inuyasha?" Kaede said.

"Poor Kagome, I bet she's waiting for you for ages!" Shippou added.

Inuyasha suddenly remembered Kagome shouting at the well.

"Inuyasha! Why are you taking so long? Are you still mad at me?!" Kagome shouted into the well, her voice creating an echo. "I want to go back. So will you please come here already?!"

"I want to go back but I'm scared that Inuyasha will dismiss me…"

"All right! All right!" Inuyasha finally said. "I'm going to get her. Happy?" Inuyasha looked at them with his arms folded in front of him.

"Very happy!" Shippou exclaimed while Kaede nodded with a small smile on her lips.

"Maybe they're right…" Inuyasha thought, _"Maybe I should also give in time to time."_ And then he jumped into the well to come for Kagome.

-

Kagome and Houjo were seated in a restaurant, facing each other.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself." Houjo told Kagome.

Kagome sipped her juice drink quietly and smiled. "Of course, I'm enjoying myself." She said cheerfully.

"I was so worried about you when I heard that you got an infection in your eyes." Houjo said. "Are you all right now?" Houjo asked.

Kagome suddenly remembered Inuyasha. _"He would always see to it that I'm all right… He never failed to protect me no matter what." _Kagome thought.

"Kagome, are you all right?" **Inuyasha asked Kagome, worry was visible on his face.**

Kagome blushed when she remembered those times.

"Higurashi," Houjo said. "You're flushing. Are you feeling dizzy or anything?"

Kagome looked up and scolded herself. _"Stop thinking about Inuyasha!"_ Kagome smiled at Houjo and said, "I'm all right, don't mind me."

Then, someone turned on the radio in the restaurant and Kagome's mind absorbed the song completely…

-

You say

I only hear what I want to

And you say

I talk so all the time—so

-

"Inuyasha said I always talk and never listen," Kagome thought. _"Maybe… he's right."_

-

And I thought what I felt was simple

And I thought that I don't belong

And now that I am leaving

Now I know that I did something wrong cause I missed you

Yeah, I missed you

-

"Every time Inuyasha and I argue, I always leave him and go back here." Kagome thought._ "I always thought this was the easiest way to solve the problem… run away. But somehow, we always fixed things until now…"_

-

And you say

I only hear what I want to

I don't listen hard

I don't pay attention to the distance that you're running or to

Anyone, anywhere

I don't understand if you really care

I'm only hearing negative, no no no—bad

-

"I guess it's really my fault. I should have listened to him first. I always get mad at Inuyasha… that's being unfair to him." Kagome thought.

_-_

_So I turned the radio on I turned the radio up_

And this woman was singing my song

The lover's in love and the other's run away

The lover is crying cause the other won't stay

And some of us hover when we weep

For the other who was dying

Since the day they were born well

Well this is not that

I think that I'm throwing but I'm thrown

And I thought I'd live forever but now I'm not so sure

You try to tell me that I'm clever but that won't take me anyhow

Or anywhere with you

And you said that I was naive

And I thought that I was strong

I thought "hey, I can leave, I can leave"

But now I know that I was wrong cause I missed you

Yeah I missed you

-

"I thought I could live normally again and forget about you but… I can never do that. Inuyasha's here in my heart and will always stay, I can never leave Inuyasha alone," thought Kagome. _"When we fight, no one likes to give in. You always think it's my fault and I always thought that I'm right. But I always miss you when I'm in here. I miss the way you worry about me, I miss the way you pretend that you don't care but deep inside, your heart really cares… I even miss the way you get jealous and always become protective on me… I miss everything about Inuyasha, that's why, I always give in just so I can come back to you." _

_-_

_You said "You caught me cause you want me_

And one day I'll let you go"

You try to give away a keeper or keep me cause you know

You're just too scared to lose

And you say,

"stay"

You say

I only hear what I want to.

-

"You told me you wanted me to stay by your side forever... but why? Is it just because you need me to collect the Shikon shards? Or because I remind you of Kikyou? Maybe you're just scared to lose against Naraku… so you kept me..." Kagome thought sadly._ "But whatever reason you have, I will stay because I want to be with you… Maybe it wouldn't be bad if I give in again this time… I'll go back whether he likes it or not…"_

-

And the song ended.

Kagome stood up. "Houjo, I'm sorry but I must go home." She said.

"Then I'll walk you home," offered Houjo.

"All right." Kagome said.

-

"What?!" Inuyasha said, entering Kagome's room by the window. "She's not here!" He said. "Where the hell is that wench?!" Inuyasha looked into the window.

"We're already here!" Inuyasha heard someone say.

"That's… Kagome!" Inuyasha said, immediately opening the door of Kagome's room and going down to meet her downstairs.

But suddenly, Inuyasha was stopped when he saw the guy with Kagome. _"Eh? Who's that guy?!" _Inuyasha thought angrily. 

"Inuyasha-niichan?"

Inuyasha looked behind him and saw Souta.

"What are you doing here?" Souta asked curiously.

"Eh? I was just…um.." Inuyasha couldn't find the right words to say at that moment. His mind was blocked with jealousy.

"You came here to get neechan, right?" Souta said helpfully.

Inuyasha nodded. "Um… who's that guy with her?" Inuyasha asked, trying to sound casual.

"Hm?" Souta looked outside and saw Kagome and Houjo. "That's Houjo. Neechan's been going out with him a couple of times." Souta answered.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, who was smiling at Houjo.

"I think Houjo likes neechan!" Souta said happily.

Inuyasha was taken aback by Souta's words. _"Does Kagome like this guy?" _Inuyasha thought to himself.

-

Kagome said good-bye to Houjo and sighed. "Well, I must prepare to leave now…" She turned and saw Inuyasha, staring back at her.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said, walking towards him. "Why are you here?"

"Kaede-babaa told me to get you but I think you're too busy…" Inuyasha said, looking at Houjo walk away.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and asked, "What's the matter with you? Are you still mad at me?"

"You're the one who's mad at me!" Inuyasha snapped, turning to look at Kagome with narrow eyes after Houjo had disappeared.

"You _are_ mad at me!" Kagome shouted, glaring back.

"Why wouldn't I be mad?! While we were back there trying to find Shikon shards, you're in here relaxing and going out with some guy!" Inuyasha said angrily.

"I'm not relaxing here!" Kagome said. "If only you know how worried I was about you!"

"Oh, really?" said Inuyasha, raising an eyebrow at her. "If you were really worried, why are you going out with that boy instead of going back to us?!"

"I'm not going out with him on purpose! It's just that he offered to walk me home and I can't turn him down!" Kagome retorted. "If you want to know why I didn't return until now, it's just because I'm scared! I'm scared that you're still mad at me and we'll fight again!"

Inuyasha paused and looked down.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said, looking at him.

"Kagome…" said Inuyasha, looking into Kagome's eyes.

"Huh?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Seriously, who is that guy to you?" Inuyasha asked, looking deeply hurt.

"Eh?" Kagome thought. "Why are you asking me that?!" Kagome said.

"If you don't want to answer me, then don't!" Inuyasha said, slightly blushing as he looked away from her.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. _"I guess he's worried about Houjo…" _Kagome thought. She sighed and said to Inuyasha, "Houjo's my friend."

"Not that I care or anything but, if he's only a friend to you then why do you go out with him?" said Inuyasha, feeling his heart beat faster. "You like him, don't you?" Inuyasha said, feeling almost sure that Kagome did like Houjo.

"And what makes you think that I like Houjo?" Kagome said, trying not to get mad at Inuyasha even though he was judging her without her consent.

"You seem to be happy with him. And you always smile at him sweetly." Inuyasha said. "I guess you're trying to flirt with him."

"What?!" Kagome bellowed. "And what suddenly makes you my personal adviser on boys?!" She roared.

"I'm just telling you that you shouldn't date that guy!" Inuyasha said, growling.

"Why shouldn't I?!" Kagome asked hotly.

"Because I don't like him!" Inuyasha replied instantly.

"Well, I'll do whatever I want!" shouted Kagome. "And a selfish, arrogant, violent, over protective, two-timer like you can't stop me!!!"

Inuyasha stopped, his face suddenly became quiet. The anger or any other expression on his face was gone. He looked down, making his bangs cover his eyes.

"I'm going back." Inuyasha said flatly. "If you want, you can come back whenever you like." And he walked away, leaving Kagome dumbfounded.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kagome asked Souta.

Souta slowly nodded.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha with sad eyes as he left. _"Inuyasha…"_

-

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A/N: At last!!!! Second chapter is finished! Please review! Thank you for reading and…. Next chapter, Kagome will get into trouble. I just hope Inuyasha comes on time to save her or will he be with Kikyou—forever? Again, Please review!!!! '


	3. Inuyasha's Choice

A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed and please tell me if you want to receive email every time I update so you can read my story… that is if you like my story… Thank you for all the inspiring words and I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am. Please give me your honest opinion about this fanfic, if this fanfic stinks… say it nicely.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor the other characters but I can borrow them to make this fanfic possible!

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Chapter 3

_**Inuyasha's Choice**_

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-

-

Kagome hurriedly ran to catch up with Inuyasha, who had left for the well.

"Inuyasha! Wait!" Kagome cried upon reaching the enchanted well—but, it was too late. Inuyasha was already gone. "Sorry…" whispered Kagome, her face was very sad.

Kagome walked out of the well house and slid the door close. _"Even though I'm mad at Inuyasha, I shouldn't have said those words… He must be very hurt because of that…"_ Kagome thought, walking back to her house. She suddenly stopped and looked back at the temple. _"Maybe I should go to him and apologize…" _thought Kagome. _"I guess it's my fault because I called him selfish, arrogant, violent, over protective and two-timer." _

Kagome sighed helplessly and began walking back towards the well house. "Even thought he really is like that," said Kagome, climbing down the well.

Kagome slowly climbed out of the Bone Eater's Well and looked around her. The whole place was beginning to dim because the sun was starting to set. Kagome headed for the village, hoping to see Inuyasha and talk to him.

-

"EH???" Shippou cried, seeing Inuyasha come back without Kagome. "Where's Kagome???" He asked Inuyasha.

Inuyasha ignored Shippou and leaped to a tree.

Shortly, Miroku and Sango came and saw Shippou shouting at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, you idiot!" Shippou shouted. "I thought you were going to go and bring back Kagome!!!"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha barked, looking away from Shippou.

"What's the matter, Shippou?" Sango asked curiously, standing next to Shippou.

"Sango? Miroku? What are you doing here?" Shippou asked.

"We heard you rumbling and so we went here to check on you," answered Sango. "Huh? Where's Kagome-chan?" Sango said, looking around for Kagome.

Shippou looked sharply at Inuyasha and said, "Inuyasha still didn't bring her back."

"Huh? Why didn't he?" Sango said, looking up at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha scoffed and said, "Keh!"

"Inuyasha," said Miroku, "what happened?"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha shouted back then suddenly looked far away. "Shit!" He cursed, immediately jumping down the tree and hiding behind the bushes.

"What happened to him?" Miroku said, still dazed by Inuyasha's queer behavior.

Sango and Shippou looked at each other then at Miroku.

"What a weirdo." Sango commented with a sigh.

"Quiet!" Inuyasha shouted, still hiding.

"Hey, Inuyasha why are you suddenly hi—" Miroku was interrupted when he saw Kagome in front of them. "Kagome-sama?" He said, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Kagome!" Shippou cried, hopping quickly to hug Kagome.

"Shippou-chan!" Kagome said, smiling.

"You're back…?" Sango said, looking quite shocked.

"Well, I can't just leave you guys so… I came back." Kagome said, looking around for something.

"What is it, Kagome?" asked Shippou.

Kagome's face suddenly became worried. "I was just wondering if you know where Inuyasha is…" She started. "We had another fight and I wanted to talk to him."

_"Talk to me?"_ Inuyasha thought, hearing Kagome's words.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku repeated.

Shippou looked at Kagome and said, "Inuyasha is just—"

Miroku snatched Shippou from Kagome and covered Shippou's mouth quickly. He smiled at Kagome and said, "We don't know where Inuyasha is." Miroku uncovered Shippou's mouth after that.

"We don't know where Inuyasha is?" Shippou repeated uncertainly, looking at Miroku.

"Yes, Shippou. We _don't _know." Miroku said, emphasizing the word 'don't' to him. "Right, Sango?" He turned to Sango for backup.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him yet." Sango said, helping out Miroku.

Shippou looked at the hedge where Inuyasha was hiding and said, "Why would you want to talk to Inuyasha, Kagome?"

"Well… I wanted to apologize to him," said Kagome, slightly blushing.

Inuyasha was surprised to hear that from Kagome. _"She'll apologize…?"_

"What?!" Shippou exclaimed. "Why would you say sorry to that selfish inconsiderate moron?!" He complained.

Inuyasha clenched his fist and thought, _"That Shippou! I'm going to hit him a thousand of times when I get my hands on him!!!"_

"It's my fault that we fought again so…" Kagome said, "I have to apologize or else, we'll never be able to work things out."

"Kagome-chan…" Sango murmured. "What's the reason of your fight?" She asked Kagome.

Kagome looked down and said, "My friend, Houjo-kun."

"A BOY?!?!" Sango and Miroku said together, their eyes going wide in surprise.

Kagome looked at them with an irritated face. "He's just my friend." She repeated.

"So what about your friend?" Miroku asked.

Kagome was blushing slightly under her friends' continuous interview. "Inuyasha…umm…saw Houjo-kun with me." She replied, not looking at them.

"I see…" Miroku said, closing his eyes to show he understood. "Inuyasha was _jealous_." He said confidently.

_"What?" _Inuyasha thought. _"Me? Jealous? No way!"_

"What?!" Kagome exclaimed. "There's no way Inuyasha would be jealous. There's nothing between Houjo-kun and me!" Kagome explained.

Somehow, Inuyasha's heart seemed to be relieved by Kagome's words.

"It's the same behavior he shows when you're with Kouga?" Miroku asked.

Kagome began to think. _"It is somehow like that…"_ She thought. Kagome nodded.

"Therefore, Inuyasha was definitely jealous!" Miroku said, smiling triumphantly.

_"Inuyasha was jealous?" _Kagome thought, her confusion increasing. _"Why would he be? He has Kikyou, so why bother? I really don't understand him!" _

"So, Kagome-chan, Inuyasha and you fought because of that?" asked Sango.

"He's so childish!" Shippou commented.

"Not only that…" Kagome said, playing with her fingers while slightly looking guilty. "He also told me that I shouldn't go out with Houjo-kun and that I was flirting with Houjo-kun… so," Kagome paused. "I… umm… told him that he can't just meddle with my own life because he's a selfish, arrogant, violent, over protective two-timer." Kagome said. "I know it was rude to tell him that but I just lost control of myself and the words came out all by themselves. I'm already getting tired of him being so protective on me yet he keeps on two-timing me with Kikyou. I know I mustn't pressure him and that these are the consequences for choosing to stay with him—I don't regret my decision—but… when will he be finally decided about his feelings?" Kagome sighed. "But then, I'm also afraid when time comes that he'll be certain about his feelings… I'm afraid that I'll never see him again…"

_"Kagome…"_ Inuyasha thought. _"She's been suffering a lot ever since she met me… but still she chose to stay with me…" _Inuyasha looked down. _"What can I do to ease her misery?" _Inuyasha's mind was full of thoughts, he was so confused now.

"Kagome-chan…." Sango said, her face was full of worry.

Kagome smiled, trying to make the conversation lighter. "What am I saying?" She said, holding back the tears that were about to fall any second. "I'll just go get my things on the other world and return here later," said Kagome, walking away. "Maybe by then I can talk to Inuyasha." She said and was gone.

Inuyasha finally revealed himself and began to walk away.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called out. "Where are you going?"

Inuyasha didn't look back or stopped. "Nowhere." He replied, still walking farther away.

"He must have heard Kagome's words," said Sango concernedly.

Miroku nodded as he watched Inuyasha disappear in the darkness towards the woods.

-

Inuyasha walked subconsciously through the forest. He stopped suddenly and found himself standing in front of the Bone Eater's Well.

Inuyasha looked at the well, remembering Kagome's words a while ago.

**"I'm already getting tired of him being so protective on me yet he keeps on two-timing me with Kikyou. I know I mustn't pressure him and that these are the consequences for choosing to stay with him—I don't regret my decision—but… when will he be finally decided about his feelings?" **

"Kagome…" Inuyasha murmured. "She's been enduring so much pain just so I can be happy… but in return, I always hurt her."

Inuyasha looked into the sky and into the bright moon above him. "Maybe I should decide already… and tell Kagome about my choice. This time, I only have to choose one of them," said Inuyasha. "I can't go on hurting Kagome like this… But Kikyou also needs me… She chose to die to be with me… And Kagome chose to stay to be with me…" Inuyasha sighed. "What shall I do?" He asked himself but no answer came to him.

Faint glowing lights appeared into the dark sky.

"_Youkais_?" said Inuyasha, examining the glowing lights closely. "Kikyou's soul-catcher _youkais_?!" Inuyasha blurted out. He immediately rushed into the direction of the faint lights and found Kikyou standing in front of the Goshinboku, collecting the dead souls given to her by her insect _youkais_.

Kikyou, feeling the presence of another person behind her, turned her back to look. "Inuyasha…" She softly said.

"Kikyou!" Inuyasha said. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kikyou said. "I'm here because I need dead souls for this fragile body."

"But—why here, Kikyou?" Inuyasha continued to ask.

"What do you expect to hear from me?" asked Kikyou; her face was cold and unconcerned. "That I like to see you that's why I came here? Snap out of it, Inuyasha. My _youkais _have already collected all the dead souls in the village I was staying so I need to look for another village. I can't walk too far that's why I ended up here." She said; her voice didn't show any emotion—it was cold like ice.

Inuyasha clenched his fist and looked down. "Kikyou…"

"And what are you doing here?" Kikyou asked. "Where's the girl and your other friends?"

"If you're talking about Kagome, she went back to her time." Inuyasha replied.

"So," said Kikyou, holding a glowing ball of light near her face. "You came to the well to wait for her but you saw my _youkais_ and rushed here?"

Inuyasha nodded.

Kikyou walked towards Inuyasha until she was exactly face to face with him. "I'm glad that you came though." Kikyou said with her soft voice. Her eyes told Inuyasha that she was telling the truth. "I'm happy that you still keep me in your heart and never forget me," said Kikyou, placing a hand on Inuyasha's cheek.

Inuyasha's face softened. "Kikyou…" He said. "I'll never be able to forget you! You're always here in my heart!" Inuyasha touched Kikyou's hand with his.

Kikyou smiled evilly while the soul-catcher _youkais _continued to fill her with dead souls. "Pathetic girl! I don't know why she still stays with you even though the one you keep in your heart is me," said Kikyou.

Inuyasha removed his hand from Kikyou's hand and looked at her, confusion in his eyes. "You mean Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

Kikyou also took her hand off Inuyasha's cheek and said, "Of course! She's the only one stupid enough to choose to stay with you even though she's only being used."

Inuyasha wasn't able to talk for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about every word Kikyou had been saying.

"Silly girl." Kikyou said. "She can never replace me in your heart. She's just an instrument for you to be able to find the Shikon shards."

"You're right, Kikyou." Inuyasha finally spoke. "No matter what Kagome does, she'll never be able to replace you… because you're two different persons. But I never treated her as an instrument just to complete the Shikon no Tama. She's more than that to me."

Kikyou was dumbfounded. "Inuyasha, are you telling me that that girl," Kikyou paused, looking straight into Inuyasha's eyes. "That girl's as important to you as I am?"

Inuyasha looked away from Kikyou. _"Kagome's important to me but—how important?" _Inuyasha thought. _"I'm willing to sacrifice my life for Kagome," _thoughtInuyasha. _"That means… she's important to me just like Kikyou is to me…"_

Kikyou turned her back from Inuyasha and walked towards the Goshinboku. "Fifty years ago, this tree became the witness of the ending of our relationship… This tree also became the witness of a new relationship…. This is where you and that girl met…" Kikyou said, looking sadly at the Goshinboku. "Before you and that girl met, we were happy together… we lived peacefully and I decided to end my duties as a _miko_ and stay with you forever… but our destiny and future were destroyed just because of a small jewel. We can never start again…" She said somberly. "We lost our chance forever…"

Inuyasha walked towards Kikyou and said, "Kikyou..."

Kikyou slowly turned around and threw her arms around Inuyasha, embracing him tightly.

"If only Naraku didn't ruin things for us Inuyasha... I could have had you forever.... I wanted us to be like this forever... but we can't do that anymore..." Kikyou said, embracing Inuyasha tighter.

Inuyasha hugged her tightly in return. "Kikyou, I'm sorry you have to go through all of these because of me…" He said, feeling sorry for Kikyou. _"Damn you, Naraku!!! Because of you... Kikyou has been suffering this much..." _Inuyasha thought bitterly.

"Being sorry will do no good, Inuyasha. I don't need your pity!" Kikyou said, bringing Inuyasha back to reality. She pushed Inuyasha away roughly, her face was filled with sorrow but her eyes were angry.

"Kikyou?" Inuyasha said, startled.

"Many things have happened and we have changed." Kikyou said. "I still love you but, I love my hatred more. I am not the same Kikyou before and I can never be that Kikyou again."

Inuyasha stepped closer to Kikyou, his fists clenched. "You are still the same Kikyou I loved!" Inuyasha shouted. "I don't care if you hate me so much but I—my feelings for you are still the same!"

Kikyou scoffed at Inuyasha. "Liar." She said. "Have you forgotten that girl? Your feelings for me aren't the same anymore Inuyasha! You're undecided! Can't decide between that girl and me!"

Inuyasha was taken aback. Somehow, Inuyasha felt that Kikyou was telling the truth. He was _undecided_.

"That girl, if she wasn't an instrument to you then she must be the one reminding you about me." Kikyou said. "She is my reincarnation, after all. That's why you confuse me with her."

_"Could it be that I only value Kagome because she does look like Kikyou?" _Inuyasha thought. _"No, I value her for what she is—not because she reminds me of Kikyou."_

"No. Kagome is not just a replica of you. She's very special to me!" Inuyasha said, his face was serious when he spoke. "Kagome made me live again…"

_"That's right…" _Inuyasha thought. _"Kagome gave me a new life, showing me that the world doesn't stop while we're still living."_

-

Kagome climbed out of the well and looked around. The whole place was dark and then she noticed the faint light surrounding the Goshinboku.

"What's that?" Kagome asked herself.

She placed her bag over her shoulder and ran towards the Goshinboku. She stopped and hid herself behind a tree when she saw Inuyasha and Kikyou together..

_"Inuyasha? With Kikyou?!" _Kagome thought. _"What's happening?" _

Kikyou looked up at Inuyasha. "I see…" Kikyou said. "She's been that close to you since I was far from you. You will never be able to stay undecided forever Inuyasha. Destiny will surely try to make you choose between that girl and me. If that time was now, who would you choose to stay with forever?" Kikyou looked at him seriously, expecting a direct answer from Inuyasha. "Who will be your choice, Inuyasha?" She demanded.

Inuyasha looked seriously at Kikyou and closed the space between them. He pulled Kikyou towards him and embraced her tightly in his arms.

_"Inuyasha…" _Kagome thought painfully. _"He's decided… to choose Kikyou?" _Those words stabbed Kagome as she spoke. Her eyes began to blur because of the tears slowly trickling down her eyes. _"Of course, he would choose her. He had chosen her over me before... and now, he won't let me stay with him..."_ The thought only intensified the pain she felt.

Inuyasha broke the hug gently and looked at Kikyou seriously. "I don't want to choose between Kagome and you because you're both important to me… but if destiny insists me to choose…." Inuyasha took Kikyou's hand and said, "You've suffered more than enough…and I want to ease that suffering. That's why I want to protect you… because…" Inuyasha's eyes were fully determined as he spoke. "because _I love you very much_." Inuyasha said the words clearly.

Kikyou's face looked deeply moved by Inuyasha's words.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyou said, moving her head forward as her lips kissed Inuyasha.

Kagome's tears were flowing freely now. Inuyasha had finally decided to stay with only one of them and he decided to choose Kikyou—again. He accepted her completely and she had lost Inuyasha… Kagome turned her back so she wouldn't have to see Inuyasha and Kikyou anymore. _"Inuyasha has chosen… Kikyou." _Kagome thought sadly, walking slowly away—away from Inuyasha.

-

Kagome placed her bag down beside the well and sat on the rim of the well to continue thinking. She took out the Shikon shards that she kept around her neck and looked at them. "Maybe this is the end for Inuyasha and me. Maybe I should leave him and forget him…" Kagome said. "Why am I expecting that Inuyasha would choose me?" She sighed. "I'm just a shard detector for him… an instrument to help him avenge Kikyou's death and beat Naraku…" Kagome stood up and looked inside the well. "But I couldn't forget Inuyasha just like that... what will I do?" She asked.

"Kukuku… And where do you think are you going?" A voice from behind Kagome asked.

Kagome quickly turned around, knowing that voice too well. "Naraku!" She said, seeing a figure hidden under baboon skin. "What are you doing here?" Kagome asked, thinking of a way to escape him.

"What's with that sad face?" Naraku said curiously. "You've seen something you didn't want to see, right?"

Kagome clenched her fist. "Shut up!" She shouted.

Naraku leaped in front of Kagome and looked into her eyes. "You're mine!" He said, his eyes glowing a shade of deep red.

Kagome suddenly froze. Her whole body seemed to be losing its consciousness. _"Inuyasha!" _Kagome wanted to shout but her voice had failed her. And everything went black.

-

Inuyasha didn't make any move when Kikyou kissed him. He just stood there staring at Kikyou like he was frozen solid.

Kikyou broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha, hugging him firmly.

"I know you would choose me over that girl… I'm glad Inuyasha." Kikyou said, her head leaning on Inuyasha's chest.

Inuyasha seemed to be entranced that he was still not moving. Kikyou smiled evilly and said, "You'll stay with me forever Inuyasha!" She silently pulled a dagger from her _haori_, planning to stab Inuyasha at the back.

"Stop it, Kikyou…" Inuyasha finally said, still not moving

Kikyou looked surprised when she heard Inuyasha speak. "Inuyasha?" She said, stepping away from Inuyasha and looking at him.

"I cannot stay with you…" Inuyasha said, looking away from her. "You said so yourself that we can never start again. Our relationship has ended…"

"You're choosing that girl over me?" Kikyou said, her face cringing in anger.

Inuyasha looked at Kikyou in the eyes. "The moment I met Kagome, she changed me." Inuyasha said. "When I knew that you died after me, I felt hurt but Kagome's been helping me recover. She's always there when I needed her and she cried for my sake. She taught me how to value others and I don't want to lose her. At first, I thought she was just a plain reincarnation of you but she's far more than just a reincarnation. I love you but… if you'll let me choose… I'll choose _Kagome_."

Kikyou looked really angry with Inuyasha when she had heard him say those words. "Are you telling me that you love that girl?" Kikyou asked. "Tell me Inuyasha!"

_"What?!" _Inuyasha thought. _"I love… Kagome?" _Inuyasha looked at Kikyou. _"Maybe…"_ He thought, unsure of his feelings for Kagome until now.

"Why are you asking me that?!" Inuyasha shouted at Kikyou. "I don't know!"

Kikyou gripped the dagger on her hand tighter. "That girl… I should have been the one making you smile but now… I'm dead." Kikyou summoned her insect _youkais_, who immediately came to her. Kikyou began to float in the air together with her soul-catcher _youkais. _

"Kikyou!" Inuyasha tried to stop her but she was too high to reach. "Where are you going?" He shouted.

"That girl has replaced me in your heart Inuyasha… I won't let that happen… You're mine Inuyasha!" Kikyou said, her eyes was full of sorrow but anger still dominated her face.

"Kagome didn't replace you Kikyou! I'LL STILL PROTECT YOU!!!" Inuyasha said, looking up at Kikyou.

"I don't need protection Inuyasha." She said. "All I want is _you_ and you alone. No one can get you from me!" Kikyou said determinedly. "If I have to _kill_ that girl, I will." And she vanished completely.

"KIKYOU!!!!" Inuyasha shouted, looking into the darkness of the sky. He looked down, clenching his fists. "Why are you doing this? Can't you just go to the other world peacefully? Kikyou…" Inuyasha said, gritting his teeth. A soft breeze blew through the trees. Inuyasha suddenly stopped. _"I forgot! Kagome's going to come back tonight!" _Inuyasha thought suddenly. "Maybe she has arrived!" Inuyasha rushed to the enchanted well quickly, believing that he would be seeing Kagome there.

Inuyasha reached the well but suddenly sensed a presence of evil _youki._ _"Naraku's scent is filling this place?!"_ Inuyasha thought, worry rushing through him. "Kagome!" Inuyasha said worriedly. He noticed Kagome's yellow bag beside the well and picked it up. "She's already here but… where is she?" Inuyasha looked around, his face was deeply troubled. "She must have been…" Inuyasha didn't want to continue his words. He didn't want that to happen to Kagome. Inuyasha hurried to Kaede's place.

-

Inuyasha hurriedly entered the hut, panting for air.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked Sango.

"Huh?" Sango said. "She's not yet here." Sango looked down at the bag Inuyasha was holding.

"Inuyasha, can you feel Naraku's presence just now…" Miroku said, looking seriously at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. "Naraku kidnapped Kagome!" He said, raising his clenched fist.

Sango and the others looked surprised. "Are you sure?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "I just felt his presence a while ago but he had been near the well for a long time already. He must have put a barrier around the place so we couldn't feel him." Inuyasha explained. Inuyasha placed Kagome's bag down on the floor. "I'm going to save Kagome!" Inuyasha said and left quickly.

-

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on a soft _futon_, her hands tied up. "Where am I?" She asked to herself, looking around the room.

The door opened and Naraku, without his baboon skin on, entered.

"Good. You're awake." Naraku said, walking towards Kagome. He stood in front of Kagome and looked into her eyes.

"What do you plan to do with me?!" Kagome demanded. Her face looked angrily at Naraku without any trace of fear.

Naraku smiled wickedly. "You're going to serve me." He said. "I'll use you!"

"If you want to get Inuyasha, he won't come for me!" Kagome shouted loudly. "You're just wasting your time!"

"Of course he wouldn't come." Naraku replied, his smile not fading.

"Eh?" Kagome said, puzzled. "Then why did you have to kidnap me?! You even tied me with these stupid ropes!" shouted Kagome.

"Ah, I'm sorry Kagura tied you." Naraku said, turning towards the door. "Kagura!"

Kagura arrived shortly in the room as she fanned her face. "What is it, Naraku?" She asked.

"Untie her." Naraku ordered Kagura.

Kagura paused for a moment, wondering why Naraku wanted Kagome to be released, but she followed Naraku's order.

Kagome rubbed her wrists, trying to ease the pain because of the ropes.

"Send me Kanna." Naraku commanded Kagura.

Kagura left immediately.

"Is that better?" asked Naraku, looking back at Kagome.

Kagome looked at Naraku with angered eyes and asked, "What do you want from me?"

Naraku laughed. "Aren't you a poor girl? Inuyasha dumped you in exchange for a dead _miko_." He said.

Kagome just stared at him with the same angered look on her face.

Naraku looked at his side and smiled. "Kanna… you're here." He said to the little girl standing beside him. "Why don't you show her what Inuyasha said about her when he was with Kikyou…"

Kanna nodded and touched the round mirror in her hand.

Kagome looked at the mirror and saw Inuyasha with Kikyou. Just like a while ago when she saw them.

_Inuyasha was hugging Kikyou firmly. _

_"Kikyou… I want to stay with you forever… I don't care about anything else anymore…" Inuyasha said, his eyes closed._

Kagome felt hot tears about to fall from her eyes again. She clenched her fists to stop them from falling.

_"Inuyasha… how about that girl?" _Kagome heard Kikyou ask Inuyasha.

_Inuyasha's eyes slowly opened. "Kagome?" Inuyasha said. "I don't care about her… I just used her… She doesn't mean anything to me." Inuyasha said._

Kagome's heart was crushed into tiny pieces because of Inuyasha's words. _"Inuyasha… you just used me?"_ Kagome wanted to ask Inuyasha that question right that very moment. _"No… Inuyasha can never do that to me…" _Kagome thought.

The mirror showed Inuyasha holding Kikyou's hand and they walked together looking at each other happily. Then the fog covered Inuyasha and Kikyou completely.

Naraku looked at Kagome while she was looking at the mirror.

_"What's with this girl?" _Naraku thought to himself. _"She's still trusting Inuyasha until now… I can't use her if her heart doesn't show any weakness…" _Naraku smiled corruptly and said, "Inuyasha has forgotten you. He's happy with Kikyou now. He doesn't need you anymore so he won't save you."

Kagome thought about Naraku's words. _"Inuyasha will not save me?" _Kagome thought. _"Yes, he wouldn't come because… I'm nothing to him. Why will he waste his time on me?" _Kagome's heart was beginning to be filled with doubt and fear.

_"As I thought, she fears that she'll lose Inuyasha…" _Naraku thought. _"What a weak heart!"_

"You hate Kikyou, don't you? And even Inuyasha because he fooled you." Naraku said, smiling wickedly again.

"Huh?" Kagome said. _"Do I hate Inuyasha?" _Kagome thought. "If he really fooled me then… I can't forgive him!" Kagome said.

_"This is getting better. I can use her now." _Naraku thought, smiling to himself. He took another step closer to Kagome and took out a Shikon shard. He pointed the shard on Kagome's forehead then his eyes glowed red again.

"Eh? That's my shard!" Kagome said, looking at Naraku's hand. "What are you trying to do to me?!" She demanded, glaring at Naraku.

"Interesting." Naraku said, smirking. _"The Shikon shard can not control her. She's repelling the shard's power!" _Naraku thought.

"What's interesting?" Kagome asked Naraku, looking annoyed that she still couldn't understand Naraku.

Naraku smiled evilly. "I'll just deal with you later." He told Kagome and left.

Kanna looked at Kagome with a mysterious creepy look on her face. "You will surely die if you keep on resisting." She said and left afterwards.

Kagome stared at the door where the two had exited. "What is she talking about?" Kagome said to herself. She stood up and walked to the door, trying to open them. She sighed. "They're locked." She said hopelessly.

Kagome looked around for any other exit but there was none. The room was empty except for the _futon_ she was resting on a while ago. She walked back to the bed and sat down. "What will I do?" Kagome said. "I'm sure everyone is starting to worry about me…" She thought about Inuyasha again. "Inuyasha… what could he be doing right now? I guess he's still with Kikyou…" Kagome looked up to the ceiling, finally letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks.

-

Inuyasha ran through the forest, his face was painted with worry. "Kagome…" He said. "Where the hell are you?! Please be safe!" He leaped into the air, looking at the full moon hanging on the sky. "Naraku, you bastard! I'll never forgive you!" Inuyasha growled.

-

Naraku entered the room where Kagome was staying. He found Kagome lying on the _futon_, asleep. Naraku looked at Kagome and thought, _"This girl is very hard to deal with. I can't place a Shikon shard inside her body because she still has feelings for that dirty hanyou." _Naraku sat beside Kagome and pointed his forefinger on her forehead. _"But her power has gone weak because she has doubt and fear in her heart now. Seeing Inuyasha with Kikyou definitely made her heart doubt. I'll just have to change her memory to be able to control her completely." _Naraku thought. He took out a Shikon shard and a blinding light shot from his finger.

-

Kagome opened her eyes slowly and saw Naraku sitting beside her.

"You're finally awake." Naraku said.

Kagome grasped her head in pain. "My head… it's throbbing." She said.

"You've been attacked by a _hanyou_ a while ago." Naraku said. "It's a good thing I found you on time or you could have died." He explained.

"I was… attacked?" Kagome repeated. Flashes of memories began to fill her head.

"A white-haired _youkai_—no, _hanyou_—attacked me and gave me this painful wound." Kagome said, still holding her head.

"Yes." Naraku agreed.

"That bastard! I'll waste him the next time I see him!" Kagome said, clenching her fists.

"Don't worry I'll help you fulfill your mission." Naraku said, smiling wickedly at her. "For now, you must rest to get stronger… my beloved little sister." Naraku said.

"Yes, _brother._"

-

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A/N: Brother???? What?!!! Naraku's changed Kagome's memory! What will happen?! And Inuyasha?! What's taking him so long to find Kagome?! Anyway, next chapter will come soon if and only if YOU REVIEW…. Thanks for reading and PLEASE DO REVIEW! ' No update if you don't review... hehehe Cheez...


	4. Naraku's Sister, Kamatari!

A/N: As usual, thanks for the reviews of the RESPONSIBLE people reading this fanfic. If you can't understand something on the fanfic, don't be shy to mail me. And if you want to get mail when I update, tell me in your reviews. Even just by dropping your mail address, I'll already know you like to receive my mail. ' Please if you're reading this, please review this fanfic PER CHAPTER. Even just drop a few words each chapter because I want to know if I'm doing better or I'm doing worse… Anyway, thank you again… that's all!

Wait! I forgot something! To all the reviewers thank you so much. And I just want to clear something... I don't like Kikyou!!!! (that's how it is spelled in the manga) I'm TOTALLY AGAINST HER!!! Inuyasha is for Kagome! So this is an Inuyasha-Kagome fanfic. There's no mistake about it! And KaoMi? If you're reading this, I can't understand the thing you told me about Naraku telling Kagome that Inuyasha chose a dead miko over her... umm... what do you mean background story? I just want things cleared. Naraku just said that to piss off Kagome and I'd like to hear your opinion to clear my mind. Thanks for telling me your thoughts. I'm glad.

So here's the next chapter!

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Disclaimer: I hate this part. This is the part where I tell everyone that I don't own Inuyasha…blah blah…. It's too sad for me… huhuhu… Nuff said!

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Chapter 4

_**Naraku's Sister—Kamatari! **_

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"Hey! Inuyasha!" Shippou shouted at the top of his lungs to be able to reach Inuyasha, who was far away in front of them.

Inuyasha groaned and jumped effortlessly, landing in front of Shippou. "What?" He demanded, looking annoyed. He really didn't know why he had to bring them in his search for Kagome. Probably because they were also worried about Kagome and they kept on insisting that they wanted to go with Inuyasha.

"Can we take a rest?" Shippou said, sitting on the ground.

"What?!" Inuyasha grumbled. "We have to rest again?! We've been walking for only six hours!"

"Correction," Miroku stated. "We've been walking for almost seven hours _already_."

"It's been two days since Kagome-chan was kidnapped…" Sango said worriedly. "We still haven't seen any trace of her…"

Inuyasha clenched his fists and growled. "That's why we have to hurry! We don't have time to dally! Naraku might have killed Kagome while we're resting here!" He said, looking angry with himself. "If only I had come to save her on time…"

Shippou comforted Inuyasha and said, "Don't worry Inuyasha. I'm sure we'll find Kagome…"

Miroku nodded. "Shippou's right, Inuyasha." He said. "You should also take a rest so we'll have strength to battle with Naraku."

Inuyasha looked down. "Okay, we'll rest." He finally said, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He folded his arms and looked up to the sky. _"Kagome… please be safe 'til I come to save you…" _Inuyasha thought.

-

Back at Naraku's castle, Kagome was inside a room, looking out at the castle's windows.

The door opened gently and a girl, wearing white kimono, entered.

"Lady Kamatari, do you need anything?" The girl asked after bowing down before Kagome.

Kagome turned around to face her and smiled. "Yes." She said. "Would you please get me a new set of clothes?" Kagome pointed to her old school uniform. "I don't know why I'm wearing these clothes ever since I came back here. They're so weird-looking." Kagome said, looking rather disgusted at her clothes.

"Yes, my lady." The girl said and disappeared behind the door.

-

Kagome walked through the corridors of the castle silently. She stopped in front of a door and knocked gently. "Naraku? Can I come in?" Kagome said.

No answer.

"Silence means yes to me." Kagome stated then opened the door.

Naraku looked at Kagome's direction and was surprised.

"How do I look?" Kagome asked, standing in front of Naraku. She slowly turned around so Naraku could take a look at her.

Naraku smiled. "Just like before, you look great." He said, looking at her face. "Very different when I saved you from that _hanyou_ who attacked you."

Kagome winced at the mention of the word that caused her pain—_hanyou_. "Don't you mention that _hanyou_ to me!" Kagome glared at Naraku. "Every time I hear that, it makes me want to throw up! How dare he hurt me!" Kagome clenched her fists. "Somehow, he changed my clothes into that weird-looking kimono that doesn't even look like a kimono…" said Kagome, looking annoyed. "I'm glad I'm back to _normal_!" Kagome said, looking pleased with herself. Kagome looked at herself adoringly. She was wearing an elegant-looking deep red kimono with white flowers designed on it. She had her hair tied in a high ponytail with the use of a red ribbon just like the way she wore her hair during their P.E. classes; a white flower on the left side of her hair. Her face had changed as well—definitely not like before. Her lips were as red as fresh blood and her eyelids were lined with pink lining, like Sango's eyelids.

Naraku continued to stare at his new creation. _"Poor Inuyasha… now he has to deal with his beloved girl as well."_ He thought nastily.

"Kamatari," said Naraku. "I want to return this to you… That _hanyou_ tried to steal your weapon but I stopped him on time." Naraku handed Kagome a red bow and a set of red arrows.

"My bow and arrows!!" Kagome cried excitedly as she got them. She immediately touched one of the arrows dreamily and smiled. "I always liked using these arrows…" Kagome told Naraku. "Especially if it's stained with blood." Kagome's smile widened.

_"My new creation's a masterpiece."_ Naraku thought, happy with the result of Kagome's altered memory.

"Can I go outside to play?" Kagome asked. "It's so boring here. I want to test my bow and arrows." She explained, looking at Naraku.

"Why not?" Naraku said. "You could also look for that white-haired _hanyou _who attacked you and play with him." Naraku suggested, smiling. "I even have a gift for you before you go." He added.

"Really?" Kagome said, sounding much like a thrilled little girl.

Naraku smiled and gave Kagome a sword. Kagome looked at the sword on her hand and pulled it out of its black sheath. She examined the blade curiously and smiled wickedly. The blade glistened perfectly because it was still new and unstained. "Perfect!" Kagome said, looking down at the sword. "A good sword to end up that bastard's life!" She said. "I'm going to enjoy seeing his blood dripping from this very blade!" She returned the sword into its scabbard and tucked it on the side of her kimono.

"I hope you'll enjoy _playing_," said Naraku before Kagome turned to leave.

Kagome smiled. "I'm sure I will." She said and headed for the door.

"Kamatari,"

"What?" Kagome turned around.

Naraku tossed a golden orb at Kagome and Kagome caught it. "Bring that with you." Naraku said.

"Saimyoushou?" Kagome said, looking at the ball on her hand.

"I don't want my sister to leave without any protection, do I?" Naraku said.

"Okay." Kagome said and left to search for—Inuyasha.

Naraku smiled to himself. "Silly girl," He said. "I still have to guard her very well… She might be able to remember something and my plan will be ruined."

-

Kagome was walking in the forest with the Saimyoushou flying nearby.

"This is boring…" Kagome said, holding her bow. "I still can't find any playmates!" She complained.

Kagome stopped and placed an arrow on her bow. She aimed at a large tree, which was a hundred meters away from her. She released the arrow and frowned. "This isn't fun." She said. "I want live targets." She said, looking up the sky and hoping to see a bird fly by. Fortunately, she saw something red jump up the sky. She smiled. "A target!" She immediately released an arrow to that direction.

-

Inuyasha sensed the coming arrow and caught it by the hand.

"An arrow?" He said curiously, slowly landing on the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku said. "What's that?"

Inuyasha showed them the red arrow he got.

"Who shot that to you?" Sango asked.

"I did." Kagome said, walking towards them.

"Saimyoushou?!" Inuyasha said, noticing the insects fluttering around her. "Who are you?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"Never mind my name, _hanyou_!" Kagome said, aiming another arrow. "Because you're going to die!" She released the arrow and it instantly sped fast to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha leaped immediately. "Keh!" He said. "Too slow for me." He quickly drew out Tetsusaiga and transformed it. _"Who is this girl? She smells kind of weird." _Inuyasha thought, examining the girl. _"Another offspring of Naraku?" _Inuyasha looked at the girl but didn't see any markings of a _youkai_. _"No," _Inuyasha thought. _"She's human…"_

Kagome took another arrow and aimed. "Will you keep still!?" She shouted. She released the arrow aimed at Inuyasha but instead it hit a tree—very far from Inuyasha.

"Where are you aiming at, bitch!" Inuyasha shouted. "Don't you know how to use that thing?!"

Miroku looked at the girl and suddenly thought about something_—_actually_ someone_. _"She reminds me about a certain person…" _Miroku thought. _"Kagome! Could this girl be Kagome?!"_ He thought impossibly.

Inuyasha had been thinking about the same thing. _"She does smell like her but—her smell is somehow different. Like her smell was mixed with Naraku's scent." _Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome and looked at her closely.

Kagome looked at him with an irritated look. "Don't come near me!" She said, throwing her bow and drawing out her sword. She swung it at Inuyasha with all her might.

Inuyasha jumped back to dodge Kagome's sword and shook his head. "No… definitely, that's not Kagome." Inuyasha muttered to himself, cringing his nose in disgust as her scent lingered in his nose. Kagome just looked at him with an annoyed look.

"Will you stop muttering there!!!" Kagome shouted, charging into Inuyasha again but Inuyasha leaped above, dodging her sword.

Inuyasha returned Tetsusaiga inside its sheath and landed firmly on the ground.

"Draw your sword, bastard!" Kagome ordered. "Don't tell me you decided to die without putting up a fight." Kagome said, still gripping her sword tightly.

Inuyasha revealed his claws and looked at Kagome with a pissed off look. "Why would I spare your life?" Inuyasha asked. "I just don't think you'll be worthy enough to be killed by Tetsusaiga so I'll just kill you with my own claws!"

Kagome sneered at him. "Do you think you can kill me?" She said.

"Of course!" Inuyasha said, springing upwards again. "Prepare to die!!!" Inuyasha dove towards Kagome, his claws ready to slash at her.

Kagome raised her sword to block Inuyasha's claws. Luckily, Inuyasha couldn't get any closer to Kagome. A barrier was emitted by the sword to protect Kagome. Inuyasha tried to penetrate through the barrier but it was just too strong.

"Damn." Inuyasha cursed, looking angrily at Kagome's eyes.

Kagome glared back at him with an angry expression on her face. _"It's a good thing Naraku gave me this sword…" _She thought, gripping the sword tighter.

The impact of Inuyasha's attack was somehow beginning to pierce through the barrier of Kagome's sword. She began getting cuts on her face and her ribbon loosened, making her hair fall down.

Inuyasha suddenly stopped the moment he saw Kagome's raven black hair unbounded and flowing past her shoulders—just like her normal hair did. He looked closer into Kagome's eyes. "Ka-Kagome…?" He whispered. Inuyasha leaped backwards and looked at her again. "Is that you?" He asked, looking confused and worried at the same time.

Kagome looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?!" She yelled. "I'm not Kagome!!!" She jumped away from Inuyasha, shivering every time Inuyasha came near her.

Inuyasha knew by heart that she was Kagome. But why did she have the scent of Naraku on her very scent? Inuyasha stepped towards Kagome. "Kagome! What's happening to you?!" He shouted.

-

Shippou looked at Sango worriedly. "Sango, is that really Kagome?" He asked fearfully.

"Yes… but she's _different_." Sango answered, looking at Kagome. _"Inuyasha, what will you do?" _She thought sadly.

-

"Kagome, don't you remember me?" Inuyasha stepped closer to Kagome.

Kagome stepped back, pointing the sword defensively in front of her. "I don't remember you except—" Kagome paused. "You tried to kill me!" She pierced Inuyasha's shoulder with her sword with full force.

Inuyasha grasped the wound on his left shoulder; his face looked pained and shocked. "Kagome…" He said; his voice was sorrowful and weak. "I never tried to kill you!" He protested.

"Liar!" Kagome shouted back. "You attacked me! I should have been dead by now if my brother hasn't come to save me!" She said angrily.

"What are you saying Kagome?" Inuyasha said, looking deeply troubled. He tried to get closer to Kagome but she began firing arrows at him continuously.

"Kagome! Kagome! Kagome!" She shouted exasperatedly. "Why do you keep on calling me that! I'm not Kagome!!!" She stopped firing arrows already. Her breathing was heavy, getting tired of all the shouting she'd been doing.

Sango came to Inuyasha's aid, blocking Kagome's arrows with Hiraikotsu.

"Don't get in the way, Sango," said Inuyasha, walking out of Hiraikotsu's cover.

"Inuyasha!" Sango tried to stop him.

"I'm going to bring Kagome back." Inuyasha said determinedly, walking towards Kagome again. _"Kagome… why are you acting like that? What did Naraku do to you?" _Inuyasha thought.

Sango looked at Kagome. "Kagome! Stop it! Why are you hurting Inuyasha?!" She asked, her voice deeply troubled.

Kagome threw an irritated look at Sango. "Shut up! You'll get your turn to be killed later!" She shouted immediately. She reached for another arrow but then, she noticed that she ran out of arrows. She drew out her sword again and the next thing she knew, Inuyasha was holding her shoulders and was looking into her very eyes.

"What's happening to you?! Don't you even remember me anymore?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes were looking desperately at her. "Inuyasha, Kagome! Don't you remember my name?" He continued.

Kagome suddenly dropped her sword. "Inu…yasha?" She repeated. _"That name…seems to be quite familiar… Inuyasha…"_ Her head began throbbing again. _"This boy… I think I know him…"_

Inuyasha hugged Kagome tightly. "Please try to remember, Kagome." He said, holding her securely in his arms. "You've been kidnapped by Naraku…"

"Naraku…kidnapped me? That's impossible…" Kagome said, flashes of blurred memory began to disturb her. Her head felt like it was going to split into two. Kagome felt something wet trickle down her eyes. "_Tears?"_ Kagome thought. _"Why am I crying?"_ Kagome closed her eyes to stop more tears from falling.

Inuyasha noticed Kagome's tears and broke the hug gently. He lifted his hand to touch Kagome's cheek but Kagome slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" Kagome said forcefully at him, her eyes shooting deadly glares.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's eyes, his face was filled with worry and sadness. "Kagome…" He said softly to Kagome but Kagome looked away from him quickly.

"Don't say that name anymore!" She yelled. _"Why is he sad?" _Kagome thought to herself, still not looking at Inuyasha. Kagome suddenly saw someone standing beside one of the trees around the forest.

"Naraku…" Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and followed her gaze. "Naraku!" Inuyasha said, standing protectively in front of Kagome.

"You bastard! What did you do to Kagome?!" Inuyasha barked, gritting his teeth.

"Come." Naraku said, extending his hand to Kagome.

Kagome instantly ran towards Naraku. She looked at Inuyasha with an evil smile on her face, much like Naraku's smirk. "Sorry. I don't remember you at all!" She said, her eyes were serious when she had said that.

Inuyasha froze for a moment. It seemed that Kagome's words had pierced him badly. _"Kagome?"_ Inuyasha looked at her with questioning eyes. _"Why?"_

Naraku looked at Kagome and asked, "What happened here?"

Kagome looked at Naraku with an annoyed look on her face. "Naraku, this boy's too stubborn! He's making my head throb again!" Kagome said, leaning at Naraku. She threw a wrathful look at Inuyasha. "He's so stubborn He keeps on insisting that I am Kagome!"

"Kagome! What are you doing?!" Inuyasha said, surprised that Kagome went to Naraku.

"See?" Kagome told Naraku, completely ignoring Inuyasha. "He's quite annoying!"

Naraku placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "That's because you didn't introduce yourself to him, did you?" said Naraku, smiling evilly. "Why don't you introduce yourself properly?"

Kagome nodded, looking happy that Naraku arrived. "I told you, I'm not Kagome!" Kagome told Inuyasha, smiling wickedly. "I'm Kamatari—Naraku's younger _sister._" She said.

Inuyasha was stunned by Kagome's words. He turned to Naraku, growling loudly. "Naraku! You bastard! Get your hand off Kagome and give her back to me!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping forward to slash Naraku with Tetsusaiga.

Naraku lifted his hand and conjured a barrier to protect both Kagome and him. "Give her back? She's mine, Inuyasha." Naraku said, smirking. "Why not return to your beloved dead _miko_ instead and leave her to me?" Naraku suggested.

"Damn you!" Inuyasha said, gnashing his teeth in anger. "I won't let you have Kagome!!!" He snarled.

"Shut up!" Kagome shouted at Inuyasha angrily.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, looking surprised. _"Kagome…why?"_ Inuyasha wanted to ask Kagome.

"Don't speak to my brother like that!" Kagome said, pointing her sword at Inuyasha's throat. "Or I'll cut your throat so you can't speak anymore!"

Inuyasha jumped away from Kagome and Naraku. His face was still not changing—he looked confused and pained at the same time. "Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered.

"Let's go, Naraku!" Kagome said, turning her back at Inuyasha. "I don't want to see that _hanyou's_ face anymore."

Naraku summoned a cluster of clouds and helped Kagome climb to it.

Before leaving, Kagome looked at Inuyasha for the last time. "Inuyasha!" She shouted.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, waiting.

"Remember this, " Kagome said. "The next time we'll meet… _I'll kill you_!" And she left together with Naraku.

"KAGOME!!!!!!!" Inuyasha shouted at the top of his lungs, looking at the sky. After Kagome disappeared, Inuyasha's wounds began to ache and he slowly sank to the ground. Fortunately, he managed to use Tetsusaiga to help him stay on his feet, while grasping his left shoulder with his other hand.

"Inuyasha!" Sango, Shippou and Miroku immediately rushed towards him.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked worriedly.

Inuyasha winced in pain then he lost his consciousness, forgetting his pain a bit.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku looked sympathetically at Inuyasha. "I think we should go and bring Inuyasha back to Kaede-sama's hut to treat his wounds." Miroku said to Sango.

Sango nodded and called up Kirara.

-

Kagome and Naraku arrived shortly at Naraku's castle. "So, did you have fun playing with Inuyasha?" Naraku asked Kagome.

Kagome walked away from Naraku, not looking at him. "Please leave me alone for a while." Kagome told Naraku. "I'm tired."

Naraku nodded. "Okay then." He said, watching her leave. "Kanna,"

A little girl arrived immediately holding the same old mirror on her hands.

"Watch over her. She's too dangerous to be disregarded." Naraku said, walking away to the other direction of the castle.

-

Kagome rested on her _futon_, looking at the ceiling vacantly.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome murmured softly. "I think I know that boy… but my mind keeps on repelling him… Why?" Kagome asked. She sat up and touched her kimono. It was covered with blood—_Inuyasha's_ blood.

_"The moment Inuyasha embraced me, I felt myself shivering. My heart kept on beating hard inside me." _Kagome thought, remembering her encounter with Inuyasha. _"What's with that boy? And… he keeps on calling me… Kagome...?"_ Kagome held her head for a moment. "He also told me that… Naraku kidnapped me? How could that be possible when Naraku had been my brother all along?" Kagome suddenly saw a blurred picture in her mind. A well. She was standing by a well and she was with… Inuyasha? He was looking at Kagome but his eyes weren't filled with hatred… It was filled with loneliness and sadness. Why?

Inuyasha's voice began to fill Kagome's head. _"Kagome… Kagome… please remember…" _

Kagome groped her head in pain. "No!" Kagome said. "Why can't I take his voice out of my head? Inuyasha… who are you?" Kagome looked into the ceiling but still no answer entered her mind. She rested her body back on her _futon_ and closed her eyes. "Maybe I should rest… to forget…. Inuyasha…" She said and slowly drifted away.

-

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and found himself in a forest. "A forest?" Inuyasha said, looking around.

"Inuyasha!" Someone shouted behind Inuyasha.

Inuyasha turned around, knowing the voice too well. He immediately got hit in the chest by a speeding arrow. Inuyasha looked around to see who was the person who had shot the arrow_—_although he already got an idea who shot him. He saw a familiar figure standing in front of him, holding a bow on her hands. Her face was very angry. "Kikyou…?" Inuyasha said, looking at her closely. She was wearing the same white _haori_ and red _hibakama _that Kikyou wore…

"No." Inuyasha told himself after looking into her eyes. "Kagome…"

Kagome's face didn't change. She still got an angry expression on her face.

"Get ready to die, Inuyasha!" She said and without any further words, she shot another arrow straight to Inuyasha's heart.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and immediately sat up. "No, Kagome!" He shouted, gasping heavily.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou said, immediately hopping towards Inuyasha's side.

Inuyasha slowly began breathing normally again. "Shippou?" Inuyasha said, looking at Shippou. "We're at… Kaede-babaa's cottage? So it was… a dream," Inuyasha said, looking around the room. "Kagome! Where's Kagome!" Inuyasha said, looking worried again.

"She _went_ with Naraku…" Miroku answered bitterly.

Inuyasha used Tetsusaiga to help him stand up. "Then… I must save her…" Inuyasha said but his feet didn't support his weight, he sank back to the floor again. "Shit! This scratch is dead painful!" Inuyasha groaned, grasping his now bandaged wound on his left shoulder.

"Inuyasha you must stay here! Your wound hasn't closed yet!" Sango said, stopping him from standing up.

"It's a good thing Kagome left her bag complete with medicines and bandages!" Shippou said, looking at the yellow bag on the corner of the room.

"Shippou!" Sango scolded Shippou.

Shippou looked at Sango curiously and saw that she was looking at Inuyasha worriedly. He immediately covered his mouth. "Sorry." He muttered, looking at Inuyasha.

But Inuyasha didn't hear what Shippou had said. Actually, he wasn't paying any attention to anyone. All he thought about was Kagome. _"Kagome, whatever Naraku did to you I promise I'll bring you back!" _Inuyasha thought worriedly as he imagined the Kagome that wounded him.

"Inuyasha," Kaede said, sitting next to him.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think Kagome has been manipulated by Naraku," said Kaede. "So she doesn't know what she's doing…"

"I know that!" Inuyasha said. "If Kagome hasn't been manipulated, she'll never act like that! That's why I want to save her. I don't want Naraku to use Kagome just to get to me…" Inuyasha looked down. _"I don't even want Naraku getting anywhere near Kagome…" _Inuyasha thought, gritting his teeth as he remembered Naraku placing his hand on Kagome's shoulder.

"For now Inuyasha, you must take a rest so you can heal that wound faster." Miroku advised. "And there's no point of looking for Kagome-sama because we don't have any clue where Naraku's castle is right now. I'm sure she'll be looking for you sooner or later anyway." He added, guessing what was on Inuyasha's mind.

"I guess… you're right." He said, finally deciding to just wait for his wound to heal. He sat on the far corner of the room and closed his eyes.

_"Kagome cried… a while ago. I know she can remember me but something's holding her back."_ Inuyasha thought. _"If only I could talk to her again… I want the old Kagome back."_

Memories of Kagome began flashing back in Inuyasha's mind…

**Inuyasha was walking behind Kagome while Kagome walked, pushing her bicycle beside her. **

**"You also get bullied before… right, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.**

**"I don't want to talk about it!" Inuyasha said, looking annoyed.**

**"So you did get bullied!" Kagome said, looking happy that she was right.**

**Inuyasha's face relaxed for a moment. "Because we're not like them…" He finally said.**

**"Huh?" Kagome said.**

**"Neither _youkai _nor human…" Inuyasha answered. "That's why I lived alone ever since and then I finally woke up without anyone beside me… That's how I decided to live…"**

**Kagome looked at him with a deeply moved expression. "Inuyasha…I'm…" Kagome paused. "I'm very happy!" She said, smiling.**

**"What?!" Inuyasha said, looking at her.**

**"It's the first time you ever talked to me like this." Kagome said. "I wanted to know your sad and painful experiences. I wanted you to share your thoughts with me. " She smiled.**

**"That sort of things make you happy?" Inuyasha said, raising an eyebrow.**

**Kagome nodded. "So show me you weak side from time to time…" She said.**

**"Feh! That sounds like I'm a weak guy!" Inuyasha protested. **

**"Ah well, that's all right. Because… you're not by yourself anymore," said Kagome, smiling at Inuyasha. **

_"Sometimes, Kagome really acts like a child. I don't know why she's happy about those things I've told her but… she's right about one thing. She was always beside me that's why I'm never alone anymore…"_ Inuyasha thought.

**Inuyasha looked at Kagome angrily. "You damn fool! I told you not to re—"**

**Kagome began running to Inuyasha and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Inuyasha… Thank goodness…" She said, hugging Inuyasha. "I thought you already died 'cause you never came to pick me up!"**

**Inuyasha's face began to soften. He was slightly moved by Kagome's words. "Idiot! I told you never to come here again, didn't I?!" He said, his face a little angry.**

**Kagome broke the hug and looked at Inuyasha's eyes. "I can't help it! I wanted to see you again!" She explained.**

_"At that time, I was really surprised when Kagome told me those words…" _Inuyasha thought. _"I also wanted to see her again but… she should have stayed in her world where it was safe so she didn't have to suffer any longer…"_

**Inuyasha was standing near the well, talking to Kagome, who was sitting on the edge of the well.**

**"I want to be together with you Inuyasha. There's no way I can forget you…" Kagome said.**

**_"Kagome… how should I respond?" _Inuyasha thought.**

**Kagome looked at Inuyasha and said, "Inuyasha… answer one thing for me."**

**She stood up and walked closer to Inuyasha.**

**"Can I stay with you?" Kagome asked.**

_"Kagome chose to be with me even though she'll have to suffer a lot of consequences… She did it because she wanted to stay with me…" _Inuyasha thought. _"And I'm happy she chose to stay… I hope she'll still stay. I can't afford to lose her, I need her beside me. When Naraku had kidnapped her, I just realized how much I needed her. I'm so useless when she's not here with me. I don't want to do anything but worry about her. Until she's safe here with me, I'm going to be a wreck."_

-

Kagome found herself standing on the ground with lots of skulls and other bones on the floor_—_and everywhere. "Where am I?" Kagome asked as she looked around. She immediately saw a girl looking up worriedly at…

_"What's his name? I know his name…umm… Inu—Inuyasha. That's his name."_ Kagome thought, looking at Inuyasha, who was standing on a huge stone above the girl, while holding a blunt sword. Kagome didn't understand why he was holding that kind of sword. She turned her look on the dog _youkai_ in front of Inuyasha. _"Who's that?" _Kagome thought, looking at the huge _youkai_.

"Go get him, Inuyasha! That strike just now did some damage." Kagome heard the girl shout, trying to encourage Inuyasha.

"What's this girl doing? Trying to meddle with someone's fight. Why doesn't she just shut up?!" Kagome said, looking annoyed at the girl. "Wait a minute," said Kagome, looking closer at the girl. "Why does she look exactly like me?" She asked, looking again at the girl. "Not to mention, she's wearing clothes that look so much like those weird clothes I wore once when I was attacked by Inuyasha…" Kagome examined the girl closely. "It can't be but_—_that is me!" She said, knowing herself too well. "Why am I there when I'm in here too?!" Kagome looked at the girl with a look of absolute confusion on her face.

"Hey you!" Kagome heard Inuyasha shout at the girl. "It did absolutely nothing!!!" He growled, looking annoyed that the girl was saying such a lie.

Kagome looked at the dog _youkai. "Inuyasha is right. It didn't even scratch him." _Kagome thought. _"Is this girl blind or what?" _

"But…" Kagome heard the girl protest. "That's your _katana_ right?! I believe in it—in your power." She said, looking happy.

_"Eh?"_ Kagome thought. _"Now this girl has gone way too far. Why will she expect that blunt sword to kill that immense youkai?!"_

Inuyasha glared at the girl from the corner of his eyes. "Feh! You sure? Saying such things cheerfully..." Inuyasha said to the girl. "I'm strong enough to survive this, but you might get killed." Inuyasha explained.

The girl seemed to be suddenly depressed. She looked down on the floor. "You mean…" The girl said then looked up at Inuyasha. "There's no way?" Her eyes suddenly became watery, it seemed that she would be crying any second now.

Inuyasha edged away from the girl, looking afraid that she'd be crying soon.

The girl looked down again and began weeping.

_"What's with this scene?!?!" _Kagome said, looking quite annoyed but she kept on watching them.

"Don't cry!" Inuyasha yelled down at the girl.

The girl had stopped crying now. She looked up at Inuyasha angrily and said, "Should I laugh, then?!"

Inuyasha looked down at the girl and retorted, "Shut up! What I'm saying is _I'll protect you!_"

The girl looked entirely taken aback, her eyes were wide with shock.

Inuyasha turned his back at the girl and faced the dog _youkai_. "Geez, just sit back and watch quietly." He said.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, also shocked by his words. "I'll protect you?" Kagome repeated Inuyasha's words. _"Why do I feel like I've heard those words before?"_ Kagome turned to look at the girl that was also her but she was gone. Then she noticed that her kimono had changed… she was now wearing those weird clothes that girl was wearing. She looked at Inuyasha and saw that he was now holding that large sword of his… _"So he transformed the sword huh." _Kagome thought. Her heart seemed to be beating faster. "What's this feeling?"Kagome said, looking puzzled. "Is it possible that I'm feeling the same thing that girl feels? Who is that girl really? Is she really _me_? And why am I wearing her clothes?" Many other questions filled Kagome's mind but none of them seemed to be answered. She didn't notice that a thick fog was swallowing her while she was busy with her thoughts.

Kagome closed her eyes from a blinding light. The moment she opened them again, she found herself facing Inuyasha.

"Kagome…" She heard Inuyasha say.

"Eh? Are you talking to me?" Kagome asked, looking at him questioningly.

"Please stay with me. Don't go." Inuyasha said the words softly.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, taken aback. "Why do you want me to stay with you?" She asked. "When… I don't know you at all…"

Her heart began beating fast again. _"This feeling again?!" _Kagome said. _"What's happening to me? Feels like my heart knows him quite well… do I know him? But then, why can't I remember him….?" _Kagome immediately felt a piercing pain in her head. _"My head! It's like I'm fighting back something in my head!" _

"Because I don't want to lose you…" Inuyasha replied, touching Kagome's cheek lightly with his hand.

Kagome felt her head burning in pain. The pain was torturing her to death that her mind began flashing blurred memories again. "Inuyasha…" She said softly, closing her eyes as the pain continued to kill her.

A picture of Inuyasha flashed in Kagome's head. He was looking at her worriedly. "Kagome… Kagome… try to remember! Kagome! KAGOME!!!" Inuyasha's voice repeated itself over and over again inside Kagome's head. As Inuyasha's voice grew louder, the pain in her head became more unbearable for her.

"STOP IT!!!" Kagome yelled with her remaining strength. Her eyes suddenly opened. The pain was gone but a trace of it still lingered in her head. Her breathing was faster than normal and she was sweating strongly. She slowly sat up, almost draining her remaining energy in doing so. She looked around and was thankful to know that she was back in her room—_safe_.

"What's with that dream?" Kagome said, her whole body felt like she had just finished a stressing work. "It felt so real." Kagome looked at her kimono and was glad that she wasn't wearing those weird clothes again. "That girl… She was me? But how come she seems so worried about Inuyasha? And why does Inuyasha call her Kagome when my name is… _Kamatari._ Yes, that was what Naraku had called me ever since." Kagome felt her head ache again as her heartbeat sped up. "This feeling again?! Why does it keep on coming back?! Inuyasha… why does my heart say that I know that _hanyou_? And if I know him… who is he to me?" Kagome asked herself. "He seems to know me the way he talked to me… When he first saw me he looked like he was going to kill me but then when…" She ran her hand through her flowing black hair. "He seemed to have changed suddenly.... What a weirdo." Kagome said, reminiscing the way Inuyasha's eyes looked when he saw Kagome's untied hair. "He seemed to be sad about something. I wonder what's the reason. And… why do I always have those memories flashing back in my head? I always see Inuyasha in my mind. Why?" Kagome didn't know any other option to answer those questions looming in her mind but to see Inuyasha and talk to him personally.

Kagome stood up and got her sword and bow and arrows. She left the castle, without telling Naraku, to search for the sole person who _might _have the answers to all of her questions—_Inuyasha_.

-

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A/N: Okay the chapters are long I know and I hope you like them… Anyway, please review. I know I repeat myself over and over again but I have to 'cause I really need reviews. Please do one for me before closing this window. Thank you. If you'll review all my chapters, I'll be glad to acknowledge your name on the author's notes the next time I upload. Thanks again and may you have a nice day ahead of you!


	5. Kagome's Fear

A/N: Okay! It's time that I give credit to my reviewers! Thank you so much to all of you. You're making this fanfic more fun to write and you're helping me out greatly by your great reviews.

Yuko, you're my first reviewer! But I haven't seen you lately…. Where are you?

Rogue star, did you receive my email? Please review again okay?

Aldrean Treu Peri, I agree with you… the problem is that they care about each other too much but it turns out all wrong… Anyway, poor Kagome… '

Nema, don't see Kagome's view? Actually she didn't have much point during the first chapter. Maybe you should just continue reading it…

Animegirl, where are you?

Tomoe Hotaru, And you too. Where are you guys? Please continue reviewing…

Kagome1990, you are one of my most loyal reviewers. Thank you very much! Love you so much!

Megoeny, please continue reviewing.

Eddie, they'll get along when time comes…

Hanyou-Girl25, I won't tell you if she's going to get her memory back… you just have to read to know…

Inuyashachic515, you're right. Poor Kagome… Naraku's using her!

Darnet, here's more. I'll repeat. I also LOATHE Kikyou! That's how I like it spelled…

Kaomi, do I really have to put the background story thingy? Anyway, maybe I will… but then again maybe not… depends on my mood… hehehe

Nikki, please review other chappies if you have the time. Thanks!

Jill, that's great! Since you love my story, please review again!

Merith, you sure did a great review. Thanks for giving me an advice, I appreciated it. Anyway, my explanation for relying on the manga is because I want to show Kagome's memories (because she lost them) and of course I'll be getting them from the manga, where else… Anyway, don't worry I'll lessen my relying on the manga. You have a point… Do I sound like the manga itself? Don't worry again, I'll try to improve it! You inspired me you know! I wish you'll review my story more often. Thanks!

InuYashagrlyfriend, thanks for the review. Cute! Here's the next chapter!

Crow, sorry I confused you. I fixed it already… it already says 'she sat up' instead of 'she sits up'… Thanks

Kitten Kisses, same here. I save them on the hard disk so I don't have to be online and all… But I log in again later to review. Don't forget to review please… Authors need a lot of those you know.

Angel-chan, sorry for taking so long. Again, tests back at school are killing me!!!

Wow! I did a long author's note… hope you don't mind that… Anyway, got a question for you… How do you spell Inuyasha? Is it like that or like this—Inu Yasha. Or like this—Inu-Yasha. I'm sort of confused. Anyway, I won't change the way I spell it though 'cause I like that better.

Another thing, the setting of this fanfic is not when Naraku discarded his heart. He still has his heart and he didn't kill Kikyou yet. There's no Hakudoushi… so I'm not following the manga, okay? This is a fanfic after all…. But he will try to kill Kikyou and discard his heart… I don't know… Not yet decided about that… How 'bout giving me your ideas concerning this? You can include this in the review you'll submit… so you'll have to really submit a REVIEW! Pretty please…

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Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Inuyasha and company!

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Chapter 5

_**Kagome's Fear **_

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Kagome continued to wander through the forest, not knowing where she was actually going.

"Where am I?" Kagome said, looking around her. All she could see were the tall trees around her. It was starting to get dark and she was having a hard time seeing things.

"Damn it," Kagome muttered. "Where will I see that _hanyou_?" Kagome said as she kept on walking through the woods. She suddenly stopped and stared at the thing straight ahead of her.

"A well?" She said, walking closer towards it. Out of curiosity, Kagome took a peek inside it. "What?! It doesn't have any water in it?!" Her voice echoed inside the Bone-Eater's well.

Kagome sat down on the lip of the well, feeling tired because of all the walking she had done. She stretched her arms and said, "Why do I feel like I know this place too well?" She sighed, putting her arms back to her sides. "Here I go again with these memories… what's happening to me?" She said, looking up at the bright moon above her. "Inuyasha… where are you?" She said softly, a picture of the silvery white-haired _hanyou _in her mind.

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Inuyasha suddenly woke up, smelling Kagome's scent in the night air.

_"Kagome?!" _Inuyasha thought. He immediately stood up and walked to the door of Kaede's hut.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" Sango asked.

"I'll just go for a walk," replied Inuyasha and left.

"Don't worry, Sango." Miroku said, looking at her with comforting eyes. "We have to give him some time alone…"

"But," Sango paused. "I guess you're right." She finally said, looking at Miroku with a small smile on her lips.

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Inuyasha rushed to the forest, following Kagome's scent. _"Kagome, I'll save you!" _Inuyasha thought, finally arriving at the Bone-Eater's well. He saw Kagome sitting on the well's brim, her face looking deeply troubled. Inuyasha walked forward to Kagome.

Kagome, noticing Inuyasha's presence, instantly drew her sword from its sheath and pointed it defensively at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's face didn't change its expression. His face still looked calm, not a trace of fear in it. "Kagome…" Inuyasha said. "You came back." His eyes told Kagome that he was glad.

"Don't fool yourself, Inuyasha." Kagome said, still holding her sword in front of her to keep Inuyasha from coming any closer to her. "I didn't come here to make friends with you." She said coldly, somehow, Kagome's way of talking reminded Inuyasha of Kikyou.

"Are you still planning to kill me?" Inuyasha asked. The words came out bitterly from his mouth.

"Of course," said Kagome, smiling wickedly. "That plan would never be changed. Seeing you die will be a great pleasure to me, Inuyasha."

"If that is your will," Inuyasha said, taking Tetsusaiga from its sheath but he didn't transform it. He pierced Tetsusaiga into the ground and looked at Kagome. "Be my guest." He said, not taking his eyes off Kagome's brown ones.

Kagome looked placid as she cast a look at Tetsusaiga, pierced on the ground. "Too excited to die?" Kagome said, pointing her sword at Inuyasha's neck. "Then I'll do the honor." She swung her sword and aimed its blade to Inuyasha's neck.

Inuyasha's eyes didn't show any emotion at all. He just continued to stare at Kagome with that blank stare that Kagome couldn't take.

Kagome stopped the sword before it could reach Inuyasha's throat. "Pathetic but I won't kill you," said Kagome, placing her sword back into its scabbard. _"What's with him? He didn't even look scared to die." _Kagome thought amusedly. She pulled Tetsusaiga from the ground and handed it to Inuyasha. "At least, not for now." She said.

Inuyasha took his sword and returned it to its sheath. "Why are you returning my sword to me?" Inuyasha asked, looking confused. "Aren't you aware that I could use this very sword to kill you?" Inuyasha said with a smirk on his lips.

Kagome smiled back wickedly. "I know." She said to Inuyasha. "I don't know myself why I did that but my heart tells me you can't kill me."

"You're taking the chance even though you can end up dead?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome's smile didn't vanish. "I always take the chance even if I'll suffer the consequences." She said simply.

_"You sound like the old Kagome," _Inuyasha wanted to say to Kagome. _"Always taking the chance…" _Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as he looked at Kagome.

"Let's get on to business." Kagome said, looking away from Inuyasha to avoid his smile.

"What business?" Inuyasha said.

"I want you to answer all my questions." Kagome said seriously.

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, looking a little surprised.

"Why did you attack me?" Kagome asked, her eyes looking deeply pained.

Inuyasha's face softened as he saw the pain in Kagome's eyes. "Kagome… I didn't at—"

"Liar." Kagome said, interrupting Inuyasha. "If my brother hadn't saved me from you then—"

It was Inuyasha's turn to react. "Wait a minute." He said. "Brother? Are you talking about that bastard, Naraku?" Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he spoke Naraku's name.

"My brother's not a bastard!" Kagome said, defending _her_ brother.

"And since when did he become your brother?" Inuyasha asked Kagome. "You're human, remember that!" He told Kagome.

"Well, he isn't actually my relative or anything…" said Kagome, looking down. "Ever since my parents died, he adopted me and treated me like his sister." Kagome explained.

"Your parents died?" Inuyasha said, looking really confused already. _"What has Naraku been telling Kagome?!" _He thought. "Kagome, your family isn't even in this time." Inuyasha said.

"What do you mean?" Kagome said. "Not in this time?"

"Kagome… Naraku changed your memory?" Inuyasha said, finally understanding why Kagome thought that Naraku was her brother.

"Naraku changed my memory?" Kagome repeated, looking at Inuyasha. "Why do you say such things? You don't even know me." Kagome said. _"Does he?" _Kagome thought, looking into Inuyasha's eyes.

Inuyasha's golden eyes looked into Kagome sadly. "Kagome… you don't understand—"

"It's you that I can't understand!" Kagome said angrily. "Why do you keep calling me Kagome?!"

"Because that is your name," said Inuyasha, looking insistent.

"My name is Kamatari." Kagome said to Inuyasha, looking firmly at him. "Inuyasha, you talk like you know me very well. Who are you to me?" asked Kagome.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, slightly surprised by her question. "You wench!" Inuyasha said. "Why can't you remember anything?!" Inuyasha looked angrily at her. "Don't you remember the Shikon shards that we are searching for?" He said.

"Shikon shards?" repeated Kagome. _"I don't know such thing…" _Kagome thought, scanning her mind. _"Wait," _She paused and looked at Inuyasha. Her mind suddenly remembered a glowing shard that Naraku was holding. _"Wait, is that it?" _Kagome thought, remembering something. _"Naraku had shown me a shard like that before…" _She suddenly remembered that Naraku placed a Shikon shard in her forehead… but why? Her memory was still incomplete. _"Why did Naraku place a shard in my forehead?" _Kagome thought as she tried very hard to remember things.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," said Inuyasha, looking into Kagome's eyes sorrowfully. "I told you that I'll protect you but I failed…"

"You'll protect… _me_?" Kagome said, more to herself than to Inuyasha. _"Then… my dream was… true?" _Kagome thought. She looked curiously at Inuyasha's golden eyes. "Why will you protect me?" Kagome asked Inuyasha. A rush of piercing pain began attacking Kagome's head once again. She suddenly raised her hands to clutch her head in agony.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha immediately went to Kagome's side. "Are you all right?" He asked worriedly, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome didn't answer Inuyasha. Her head had gone blank and she couldn't hear a single sound nor see anything. Kagome finally closed her eyes as the pain engulfed her whole body. She was too tired to do anything anymore. She finally lost consciousness and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Inuyasha was just in time to catch her as she fell. Inuyasha slowly laid Kagome's unconscious body into the soft green grass while he crouched beside her, looking deeply worried.

Inuyasha watched Kagome's face for a while as she rested. Not a trace of pain could be seen in her face. She looked very peaceful and—like the _old_ Kagome. "Kagome! Wake up! Kagome!" Inuyasha called Kagome's name over and over again, trying to wake her up.

Kagome's eyes slowly opened.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said softly.

"At last," Inuyasha said, relief flooding into his heart.

"Where are we?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, slowly sitting up. Kagome looked at Inuyasha with questioning eyes. "Inuyasha—" She suddenly stopped and placed her hands back on her head. Kagome closed her eyes as the pain continued to torture her. Something glowing was coming out of her forehead.

Inuyasha looked at the thing glowing on Kagome's forehead. "A Shikon fragment is trying to come out?!" He said in surprise.

Kagome weakly took the shining Shikon shard from her forehead and looked at it. "This shard was inside my head…?" She said in a feeble voice.

"Naraku must have placed that in you so he can use you," said Inuyasha, looking at the Shikon shard on Kagome's hand. "You don't remember it?" He asked.

Kagome nodded then looked at Inuyasha. "I can't really remember what he's done to me, I just remember that he was with me when I went in here and everything went black… the moment I woke up, I was inside a room." Kagome said, hardly remembering any more details.

_"Good," _Inuyasha thought. _"At least, she wouldn't know anymore about the things she had done when Naraku used her against me…"_ He glanced at his left shoulder. It was in there that Kagome's sword had pierced Inuyasha, giving him a terrible wound. It was covered by his red coat so Kagome didn't notice it yet. _"At least, Kagome wouldn't see my wound." _Inuyasha thought, thinking about Kagome's situation. He turned to Kagome, still worried. "How's your head?" He asked. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. "I'm all right Inuyasha," said Kagome, looking down. "What?!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, noticing her clothes had changed. "Where's my uniform?!" She asked frantically.

"Shish!" Inuyasha muttered, looking at Kagome in disbelief. "Why the hell are you so worried about your weird clothes!? You could have died, you know!"

"Why am I wearing this thing?" Kagome said, looking at the red kimono she was wearing.

"You never change, do you?!" Inuyasha complained. "Always making a big fuss about almost everything!"

"You never change too!" Kagome said in return. "You always tend to fight with me no matter what the situation is!!!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha turned his back to Kagome. "I don't want this conversation anymore." He said arrogantly, folding his arms.

Kagome ignored Inuyasha's temper. "Stupid!" She muttered under her breath, looking jaded at Inuyasha's back.

Silence suddenly filled the atmosphere between Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha still had his back turned to Kagome, his eyes staring straight forward. He was just waiting for Kagome to say something to break the deafening and uncomfortable silence.

Kagome was also doing the same thing. She continued to stare at Inuyasha's back, waiting for him to say something too. She noticed that she was staring too much at Inuyasha's back that she shifted her eyes to take a look at the kimono she was wearing.

_"Kawaii," _Kagome thought, smiling to herself. She began feeling the red kimono's texture with her fingers. _"It's so soft…" _She thought. She suddenly noticed some stain on the kimono. She looked at it closely and was surprised when she knew what it was. _"Blood!" _Her mind said. Kagome lifted her head to look at Inuyasha again then she noticed the bloodstain on Inuyasha's left shoulder. She went beside Inuyasha and examined the bloodstain closely.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said in a whisper. She didn't look into Inuyasha's eyes this time. She just kept her head bowed.

"What?" Inuyasha said, his voice sounded a little irritated as he turned his head to look at Kagome.

"What happened to your left shoulder?" Kagome asked, lifting her head to look into Inuyasha's eyes.

Inuyasha was surprised that Kagome noticed it. He looked away from her and said, "It's nothing! Just had a fight with a _youkai,_ that's all."

But Kagome knew that guilty look on Inuyasha's face too well. She drew the sword on her side from its sheath and looked at it.

Inuyasha also stared at the sword on Kagome's hands. It still had some dried blood left on its blade. He immediately looked away again. "What's that?" He said, trying to sound like he only saw that sword for the first time. He did not dare look at Kagome because he could feel that Kagome's heart was suffering deeply right now.

"Inuyasha," said Kagome, trying to make Inuyasha look at her. "Was I the one who gave you that wound?" Kagome said sadly. The words were very hard to pronounce for her.

Inuyasha slowly looked at Kagome with sad eyes but he didn't open his mouth to speak. He knew that every word he'd say to her would hurt her.

"Please tell me," said Kagome, her eyes pleading to Inuyasha. "Even if you wouldn't tell me, I can feel that I did hurt you…" Kagome looked down, her eyes were now wet and any second now tears would begin trickling down her cheeks. "I'm very sorry…" She said softly.

Inuyasha clenched his fist. "What are you apologizing for?!" Inuyasha shouted, cursing Naraku in his mind. He didn't want Kagome to suffer the pain he had suffered when Naraku had used his appearance to kill Kikyou. He'd do anything to take that pain away from Kagome. "It's not your fault! That wasn't you back there! Because I know you will never hurt me! It's okay, so don't cry anymore!" He said, hoping that his words had comforted her in some way or another.

Kagome lifted her head to look at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha…" She said, feeling the pain in her heart had lessened. _"He always knows how to comfort me…"_ Kagome thought gratefully but guilt still lingered in her heart. "Because of me… you got hurt… sorry," said Kagome, looking apologetically at Inuyasha."I'm sorry if I did many horrible things to you back then…" She continued, looking down again.

"You idiot! I said it's okay…" Inuyasha said, looking a little annoyed at Kagome's repeated apologies. "It's okay because you're already back. Please don't ever leave me like that again," said Inuyasha, his eyes were looking straight at Kagome with truthfulness. "You didn't even say good-bye to me…" He added, looking away from Kagome. _"When I thought that I'd lose you… I was totally scared," _thought Inuyasha to himself, holding back the tears of joy that wanted to fall down.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. _"He's… crying for me?"_ Kagome thought, seeing Inuyasha's watery eyes. _"Well, almost." _She thought, knowing the _hanyou's_ great pride. _"I'm still happy to know he's worried about me..." _Her lips secretly forming into a smile—a heartfelt smile.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome said, smiling at him.

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, looking at her with wonder.

"Because you were worried about me." Kagome said.

Inuyasha looked away, looking a bit embarrassed. "Keh!" He muttered, blushing even more. "I wasn't even a bit worried about you! I was more worried about the Shikon shards you were carrying!" Inuyasha said, trying to hide his emotions.

Kagome bit her lower lip and forced a little smile. "Umm… you see, Naraku took the shards when he kidnapped me…" Kagome said slowly.

"WHAT?!?!" Inuyasha roared.

"Sorry," said Kagome, repeating her apologies.

"Well, what else can I do but forgive you, right? You always tend to lose the shards when I leave you!" Inuyasha said, folding his arms. His face expression suddenly changed from an angry one to a calm one. "But I'm glad you're back." He said with a small smile, looking at Kagome while slightly blushing.

Kagome smiled back at Inuyasha. _"I know, Inuyasha. I know." _Kagome said in her mind. "Let's go back to the others." She said to Inuyasha cheerfully, standing up.

Inuyasha stood up too, glad that everything was fine. "Kagome," Inuyasha said.

"Huh?" Kagome turned to Inuyasha, looking at him curiously.

"From now on, I promise I'll watch over you more closely," said Inuyasha, looking seriously at Kagome.

"Don't make such a promise, Inuyasha." Kagome said, looking a bit sad.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, looking clueless.

"Because you'll never be able to keep it." Kagome said without a doubt. Her face was calm but with a hint of unhappiness could be seen in her eyes.

"Kagome, I can't understand you." Inuyasha said. That was the truth, Inuyasha really didn't understand what Kagome had meant by that.

Kagome sighed, her eyes looking gloomy. "Don't you remember?" Kagome asked, a little exasperated that Inuyasha was acting so unknowing. "You promised to protect Kikyou too." Kagome said softly. She then remembered the happenings she saw before she was kidnapped by Naraku. Kikyou was with Inuyasha and Inuyasha had decided to choose only one now—and it wasn't her but _Kikyou_.

Inuyasha also remembered the promise he had made to Kikyou but he knew that Kagome needed him too.

"Kagome, you don't understand…" Inuyasha said, trying to explain things to Kagome.

"I understand, Inuyasha." Kagome said, trying to look okay even though she really wasn't. _"I know you have decided to choose…"_ Kagome wanted to say but the words were just too painful to say for her.

"Kagome, I didn't—" Inuyasha suddenly stopped.He suddenly sensed Naraku's presence around them. He immediately drew his Tetsusaiga and stood protectively in front of Kagome. "Kagome, stay close to me." Inuyasha said.

"I can feel the presence of a lot of Shikon shards." Kagome whispered to Inuyasha, moving closer to him.

"It's definitely that bastard!" Inuyasha said, gritting his teeth.

Naraku, underneath his baboon coat, finally revealed himself from his hiding place, which was behind a large tree. "Kamatari, why did you leave the castle without any permission from your brother?" Naraku said coolly.

"Quit it, Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted. "Kagome's back to herself!"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha with a curious look on her face. "Inuyasha, is Naraku talking to me?" She asked.

"Silly girl," Naraku said to Kagome. "You don't remember anything, do you?" He asked.

"Stupid! Of course, I won't remember! You used a Shikon shard on me!" Kagome said angrily at Naraku. She took an arrow from her quiver and aimed her bow at Naraku. "I'll make you pay for what you did to me!" Kagome said, releasing the exorcising arrow.

Naraku avoided the arrow easily and began attacking Inuyasha.

"Kagome, you stay there." Inuyasha said before going to Naraku.

Kagome watched worriedly as Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga continuously at Naraku. Naraku seemed to be avoiding every swing of Tetsusaiga without any effort at all. Quite taken by the fight between Inuyasha and Naraku, Kagome didn't notice someone standing behind her.

Inuyasha swerved Tetsusaiga into Naraku's neck. The baboon skin Naraku was wearing was torn off, only to reveal that it wasn't really Naraku but another _kugutsu_.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed, seeing that he didn't kill Naraku at all. He turned to look at Kagome. "Kagome, Na—" Inuyasha stopped when he saw the real Naraku carrying an unconscious Kagome on his arms. "Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled.

"I'll be taking her back already," said Naraku, smiling wickedly.

"Naraku, don't involve Kagome in our fight!" barked Inuyasha.

"Is this girl that important to you?" Naraku asked, his smile not disappearing from his lips. "Then why did you let her suffer like this?" Naraku said, looking at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked angrily at Naraku, clenching his fists tightly.

"I don't know why she's still sticking up for you although she's been hurt many times." Naraku said. "This stupid girl, she wasn't easy to control with a Shikon shard. She kept on pushing the shard back because she still believed in you." Naraku continued. "But guess what helped me control her?" Naraku's evil smile widened. "You, Inuyasha." Naraku answered. "After she saw you with Kikyou… she began to worry that you'll leave her all alone and so I made her believe that you chose Kikyou over her and she fell for it. She can't afford to lose you. That's her greatest fear and that's why her heart grew weak along with her powers."

_"Kagome…" _Inuyasha thought as he looked at Kagome on Naraku's arms. "_You saw me with Kikyou again? Again, the reason you're suffering is me." _Inuyasha clenched his fists harder.

Naraku laughed at Inuyasha. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?" He said, smirking. "Don't worry, you'll still see this girl when time comes…" Naraku said, leaping into the air.

Inuyasha immediately followed, jumping into the air as well. "Naraku! Get back here!!!" Inuyasha barked. "KAGOME!!!"

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. _"Inuyasha?" _Kagome thought, seeing Inuyasha, looking at her worriedly. Then, she finally realized that she was being carried by Naraku—away from Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, reaching out her hand at him.

Inuyasha also extended his arm to touch Kagome's hand. But a strong push of _youki_ sent Inuyasha crashing towards the ground.

"Inuyasha!!!" Kagome shouted worriedly as she watched Inuyasha's unconscious body falling down fast. She turned to Naraku and glared at him. "What do you want from me?! You already have our shards!" Kagome said angrily.

Naraku smirked at Kagome. "Shut up," said Naraku, pointing a finger on Kagome's forehead.

Kagome felt her body freeze instantly. Her voice seemed to be lost and her whole body felt numb.

Naraku stared at Kagome silently. _"This girl's pretty annoying," _thought Naraku. _"At this moment she should have lost her consciousness but she's still awake?!"_

Kagome looked worriedly below, wondering about Inuyasha's condition. _"Inuyasha…" _Kagome thought. _"Please be safe." _

Naraku smiled wickedly as he continued to look at Kagome, who was still looking down in a hope to see Inuyasha. _"She's very powerful to withstand my powers…" _Naraku thought, looking amused with Kagome's powers. _"I'll be able to use her against Inuyasha." _

"What are you staring at, bastard!?" Kagome demanded, glaring at Naraku.

"Impudent girl." Naraku muttered, his eyes glowing red.

Kagome's eyes suddenly widened. Then her mind suddenly went blank. _"Inuyasha! Please help me." _Those were the words that wanted to escape from Kagome's lips before she fainted—too bad her mouth didn't seem to be functioning at all.

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Back at the forest, Inuyasha was lying on the ground, still unconscious because of the strong force that had hit him.

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A/N: Yehey! Another chapter down! Kagome regains her memory but gets kidnapped… again! This time Naraku will make sure Kagome doesn't remember anything… oh no! What will he do? Stay tune! (Sounds like an episode of Inuyasha... )

PLEASE REVIEW before leaving! Arigatou gozaimasu! Those who'll review will get an email when I upload again! Of course, you need to leave your email address.


	6. To Restrain Kagome's Power

A/N: Yes, I know I'm DEAD late with the next chapter. I'm really sorry that I took so long to update… Forgive me? You already know my reason… SCHOOL! That's why I hope you understand my situation. It's really hard to balance my time since I'm having loads of projects to submit and other requirements to complete. By next week, I'm sure I'll be freer from those school works. I hope you're not mad at me because of this. You know, I'm really excited in starting this chapter already so here it is!

By the way, to my precious reviewers, thank you for the constant support and encouragement. I don't mind criticisms because they make my story better. Feel free to say anything but please no cursing. Okay, a little cursing may do... That's all.

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Disclaimer: Why do I always have a hard time writing this part?! I don't own Inuyasha and the others. But the story and the other things you're not familiar with are mine. Gwahahahaha!!! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 6**

**_To Restrain Kagome's Power _**

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Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw the night sky filled with stars. He sat up weakly while clutching his head in pain. "Kagome…" He muttered under his breath. Kagome's voice kept on repeating itself inside Inuyasha's head, calling his name for help.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to find any trace of Kagome's scent. Unfortunately, her scent had vanished completely in thin air. Worry and anger filled Inuyasha's heart instantly. "Why did this have to happen?!" He asked to himself, clenching his fist hard, almost making his palm bleed, as he growled in anger. "Why can't I protect Kagome?!" He cried out, feeling angry with himself more and more.

He remembered the way Kagome reached out her hand to him, asking him to help her. But he couldn't do anything to help her. He was so useless!

"Kagome," said Inuyasha, his eyes looking distant with worry. "Just be safe till I find you…" He stood up with his remaining strength and dragged his feet back to Kaede's hut, determined to search the deepest places of hell just to find Kagome.

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Inuyasha entered Kaede's hut silently. Everyone looked at him the moment he entered, waiting for him to speak up. But Inuyasha wasn't in the mood to talk; he just looked at them with a sad expression on his face. Silence filled the room that warned them of a bad news from Inuyasha.

"Where in the world have you been?!" Shippou asked worriedly, breaking the unbearable silence in them. "We thought you've run away to find Kagome alone!"

"Did you feel Naraku a while ago Inuyasha? He was in here for some time but he suddenly disappeared." Miroku said, waiting for Inuyasha's answer.

Inuyasha didn't sit down but stayed near the door instead. "I met Kagome but she's gone again. Naraku's changed her memory so I'm leaving to find her and bring her back to us." Inuyasha said and immediately turned around to leave.

"Wait," said Miroku to Inuyasha, still not standing up.

Inuyasha didn't turn around to face Miroku. Instead, he said, "You can't stop me anymore. I'm going _now_." He took another step, heading outside.

"I said WAIT!" Miroku said and without any other words, he threw an empty bowl towards Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha easily dodged the rushing object and finally turned around at Miroku. "What the hell was that about?!" Inuyasha demanded, looking annoyed at Miroku.

"And who said that I will stop you?!" Miroku said, standing up and also looking irritated at Inuyasha. "Why do you always decide things right away?! You didn't even ask us if we wanted to come with you!" Miroku said angrily.

Inuyasha's face became serious. "It doesn't matter anymore. I need to find Kagome as soon as possible. Her life is at stake here!" Inuyasha answered back to Miroku.

"Idiot!" Miroku shouted at Inuyasha. "And do you think we don't know that?! I know you're just worried about Kagome-sama's safety but we also care about her—and you too. That's why we want to go with you!" said Miroku.

"I can do this alone," said Inuyasha calmly, insisting his way.

Sango stood up and looked at Inuyasha. "You don't have to face everything on your own, Inuyasha. That's why we're here; we'll help you save Kagome-chan." Sango said, trying to convince Inuyasha. "I'm sure Kagome-chan would be worried if you would go on your own, so we should all go." She added, her face was filled with concern.

Shippou walked towards Inuyasha and tugged his red coat lightly. "Come on, Inuyasha. Let us go with you," pleaded Shippou as he continued tugging on Inuyasha's _haori_.

"Inuyasha!" Kaede said in a scolding manner. "This isn't the time to act stubborn and proud." She said, looking seriously at Inuyasha. "Do you think you could defeat Naraku alone? You'll have a bigger chance to save Kagome if you'll all go."

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a while then opened them again and looked at Kaede. "Why do I always have to be pushed around by an old hag?!" Inuyasha complained then turned his back on them. "You could come but I don't want any of you to get in my way, understood?" He said as he went outside, his arms folded in front of him.

Kaede's lips softly formed into a small smile then she turned to Miroku and the others. "Just be careful," said Kaede, wishing them all the best in their journey.

Miroku nodded and they went on to follow Inuyasha to save Kagome.

-

Kagome felt a throb of pain piercing her head. She opened her eyes in agony and found herself in the same room she was the last time she was in Naraku's castle.

"Here again?" Kagome grumbled softly, looking around.

The room was empty except for the _futon_ she was lying on. Kagome touched her wrist and was surprised that Naraku didn't tie her up. "Weird." She commented, still holding her wrist. She slowly sat up and looked up at the ceiling. "I hope Inuyasha's doing fine…" She said to herself, feeling sick as she worried about Inuyasha. The door slid open and revealed Naraku without his white baboon coat.

"How was your sleep?" He asked casually, walking towards Kagome's _futon_.

Kagome didn't answer him right away but instead she threw him a stinging glare. "What do you want from me?" She asked coldly as she stood up. The moment she stood up, she was face to face with Naraku. She groped at her side, trying to see if she still had the sword on her side.

Naraku smirked at her. "You're very annoying, you know that?" Naraku said, not bothering to answer Kagome's question. "You're very defiant for a human. Purifying the shard I inserted in your head…" Naraku continued, looking at Kagome with an equal glare. "Very bad." He added, his eyes were full of rage and coldness.

But Kagome didn't seem to be scared by those eyes; she just continued to stare at him with her own dagger glares. "Too defiant, am I?" Kagome said, quickly drawing her sword and pointing it at Naraku's neck. "How 'bout I kill you now to worsen things for you?" Kagome said, pushing the sword closer to Naraku's throat.

Naraku's lips twisted into a sneer as his eyes stared at Kagome without any trace of fear. "Do you think you could possibly kill me with that toy?" He asked with insulting eyes. "Don't make me laugh." He added, his sneer not vanishing from his lips.

"Prepare to go to hell!" Kagome shouted as she pushed her sword into Naraku's neck.

Naraku's smirk was still visible. He stopped the sword without any difficulty with his bare hand. Holding the blade of the sword on his hand, he looked at Kagome with wicked eyes and said, "What were you saying a while ago?" He held the blade on his hand tighter until the blade finally gave in and crumbled into little pieces.

"Oh no," Kagome muttered, looking aghast at the little pieces of her former sharp sword. _"Now I'm dead!"_ She thought to herself, feeling her heart beat faster in horror.

Naraku looked into Kagome's eyes once again with a triumphant smirk on his lips. "You are really rude, aren't you?" Naraku said. "But you're very fearless and powerful for a weak human…"

"You can't control me anymore!" Kagome answered back, still glaring. "I won't allow it!"

Naraku's smirk widened as he continued to look at Kagome's eyes. "Let's just see then." He said, pointing a finger at Kagome's forehead.

Pain immediately flooded Kagome's head like it would split into two any minute. She closed her eyes trying to stop the pain from getting worse, her hands holding her head desperately as she tried hard not to lose consciousness from the great suffering she was experiencing.

"You don't seem too confident now." Naraku said, looking victorious as he watched Kagome's pained face. "Just stop remembering things and I'm sure you won't have the headaches often…" He said to Kagome, taking another polluted shard out of his kimono.

Kagome looked a little bothered when she saw another shard of Shikon no Tama glowing in front of her. She knew exactly where that shard was going and she didn't like that.

Naraku's eyes glared at Kagome. "Scared?" He asked, smirking at the thought. "You should be." He said as he locked his eyes on Kagome's chestnut brown eyes. His eyes glowed another shade of red, trying to make Kagome unconscious again.

Kagome began having a hard time breathing normally. Her eyes seemed to be getting heavier that she couldn't keep them open any longer. Even though she tried to put up a fight with Naraku's spell, she didn't stand a chance and soon she fainted, finally giving in.

Naraku caught Kagome's fragile body with his arm and held the Shikon shard in front of her forehead. "Stubborn girl, you can never defeat me." He muttered, pushing the shard into Kagome's head. _"Pathetic."_ He thought, smiling wickedly as he looked at Kagome's still face. The shard had completely entered Kagome's body but she didn't respond to it at all. She just continued to stay static, like she was already dead. Naraku slowly laid her body on her _futon_ and stared at her for a moment.

_"That should stop her from messing with my plans,"_ thought Naraku and turned to leave. He suddenly froze in his position when he sensed something very powerful coming from behind him. He turned his back to see Kagome's body glowing and emitting the aura of her power. Her forehead revealed the Shikon shard Naraku had embedded a while ago.

_"She managed to ward off the shard even though she was unconscious?! What kind of girl is she?!" _Naraku said, staring down at Kagome's glowing body. Naraku bent down to pick up the shard from Kagome's forehead and examined it. _"Well… as I expected, she purified it again… Just like Kikyou does." _Naraku thought to himself. "I will have to use a strange spell on her…" Naraku said, leaving Kagome. "And she'll regret she ever purified that shard." Naraku added, throwing a last glance at Kagome before sliding the door close.

-

Inuyasha continued to leap from tree to tree, trying to find a trace of Kagome's scent.

"Damn it! Why can't I find even just a single trace of Kagome anywhere?!" Inuyasha said to himself, gritting his teeth both in anticipation and anger. He stopped and stood on a branch of a tree to wait for Kirara and the others. He looked at the setting sun on the horizon and sighed. "It's been three days since I last saw Kagome in the forest… " Inuyasha said, looking far away. _"I wonder if she's all right…"_ He thought worriedly.

"Hey Inuyasha!" Sango said, snapping Inuyasha out of his thoughts. "There's a village nearby, we should arrive there tomorrow in the afternoon. Let's just spend the night in the forest."

Inuyasha looked at Sango and said, "Can't we reach the village now so we can spend the night there?"

"That's impossible even if we travel the whole night… It's still a little far." Sango explained.

"We can get information from the village if they have seen Kagome anywhere," said Miroku. "You said Kagome had regained her memory, right?" Miroku turned to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha gave a small nod.

"In that case, she might get a chance to escape and if we're lucky enough… we can find her in one of the villages here." Miroku said, trying to assure Inuyasha that Kagome was fine.

"That girl's too stubborn to fall into Naraku's spell twice. I'm sure she'll be able to find a way to escape." Inuyasha said, also trying to assure himself of Kagome's safety. _"I hope she's doing fine." _He thought to himself. He sat down on the branch of the tree he was standing on and looked down at the others. "Okay then, let's just stay here for tonight." He said, looking once more at the already dark sky.

Miroku and Sango began preparing their dinner while Shippou and Kirara played together.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Shippou suddenly asked.

"He's just up there—" Sango looked up at the tree where Inuyasha was a while ago but he wasn't there anymore. "Where did he go?" Sango asked, turning to Miroku.

Miroku shrugged. "No one knows." He simply answered.

"I'll see if I can find him," said Shippou, walking away.

-

Inuyasha sat near the edge of a cliff, looking at the view below. It was completely dark but his sight was sharp in the dark so it wasn't really hard for him. He was deep in thought, wanting to be alone—to think about Kagome.

"She must be really scared now." Inuyasha said, looking up at the moon. "She must be wondering why I still haven't come to save her…" A soft smile formed on Inuyasha's lips as he thought about Kagome's complaints when they saw each other again—if they _would_ be seeing each other again.

A soft wind blew by, making Inuyasha's silver hair dance to the breeze. "Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered. Every time he whispered her name, he remembered everything about her. Her smile, her braveness, her cheerful nature, her complaints, her sits, her temper—he missed _everything_ about her. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Inuyasha,"

Inuyasha quickly turned around, knowing the owner of that voice too well—the raven black-haired girl he wanted to see so much. "Kagome!" Inuyasha said, surprised when he_ did _saw her standing in front of him.

"Don't lose hope Inuyasha…" Kagome said, smiling warmly at him. "I believe in you. That's why I'll wait for you to save me."

Inuyasha stood up and walked towards Kagome, his eyes wide in disbelief. But when he noticed something behind Kagome…

"Shippou!" Inuyasha growled angrily at the little kitsune in front of him.

_Kagome_ wiggled _her_ small furry tail and smiled at Inuyasha. "Missed me Inuyasha?" _She_ asked sweetly.

"Stop imitating Kagome!!!" Inuyasha roared to Shippou.

_Kagome_ immediately stepped backward and changed back to Shippou with a small pop.

Inuyasha stepped closer to Shippou and gave him a whack on his head.

"Ouch!" Shippou cried in pain. "Why did you do that?!" He demanded.

Inuyasha looked at Shippou with an irritated expression on his face. "Because you pretended to be Kagome!" Inuyasha answered, looking quite grumpy.

"Well, I just thought you were losing hope already! I'm sure if Kagome was here, she'll be doing the same thing I did!" Shippou answered back, rubbing his head with the big lump Inuyasha gave him.

"What thing? Impersonating someone else?!" Inuyasha said, showing his clenched fist to Shippou as he growled. But he knew exactly what Shippou had meant and he knew that he was right. Kagome would never lose hope in this kind of situation.

"I didn't mean that! Stupid!" Shippou said to Inuyasha. "Why do I have to talk to such a slow learner?!" Shippou grumbled more to himself than to Inuyasha.

"Saying something there?" Inuyasha said, narrowing his eyes at Shippou.

"I just said that we better go back to the others." Shippou said.

"Okay, let's go." Inuyasha said, starting to leave.

Shippou ran after Inuyasha to catch up with him.

"Inuyasha?' Shippou asked as they walked through the woods.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

"Can I ask you something?" Shippou asked again.

"What?"

"Do you miss Kagome?" said Shippou curiously.

"Why would I miss her?!" Inuyasha answered quickly. "She does not have anything that I will miss!" Inuyasha added.

"You sounded like you missed her pretty much when I saw you a while ago at the cliff…" Shippou said, looking at Inuyasha with disbelieving eyes.

"That was just your imagination," said Inuyasha as they neared their camp.

"I doubt that," said Shippou, running ahead of Inuyasha.

_"What a liar I am." _Inuyasha thought, watching Shippou run away.

"Sango! Miroku! I found Inuyasha!" Inuyasha heard Shippou say.

_"Of course," _Inuyasha thought to himself. _"I miss Kagome already…"_

-

Kagome was standing in her room, leaning on the wall for support.

"Why do I feel weak? Like I have drained my energy in a battle or something." Kagome said, feeling her forehead. "I can't detect any shard in me and I can still remember everything…Then, Naraku didn't place any shard in me?" said Kagome in disbelief.

The door glided open and Kagura stepped inside the room.

"What are you doing here?!" Kagome demanded, immediately flashing a deadly glare at her.

"Naraku wants to see you," said Kagura icily, opening her fan with one swift movement of her hand.

"What does he want from me now?" Kagome asked, looking tired and irritated at the same time.

"Probably he wants you dead now." Kagura said, smiling wickedly at her. "You've been too annoying for him to handle." Another rapid movement and her fan was closed.

Kagura walked towards Kagome's back and pointed her fan at her back. "Any rude acts and I'll cut your body into half using my fan." She warned Kagome. "Now move it!"

Kagome walked forward obediently while Kagura followed her, still pointing her fan at Kagome's back.

Kagura led Kagome into a big hall until they reached a door.

"Enter." Kagura ordered Kagome.

Kagome opened the door and went in without any protest. She didn't want to get her body cut into two—not even in her dreams.

Naraku was inside the room, sitting on the floor.

"The girl's here." Kagura said, pushing Kagome forward.

Kagome looked at Naraku with glowering eyes. "What do you want from me now?!" She asked hotly.

"I'm not done with you yet." Naraku replied. "You're too stubborn—repelling the Shikon shard I'm placing in you."

_"So that's why I felt weak…" _Kagome thought.

"But don't worry… I still got something for you." Naraku said, smirking. He took out a necklace of ice blue beads with a purple round pendant.

_"Shikon shards! There are Shikon shards in that necklace!" _Kagome thought in alarm.

"You know what this is?" Naraku asked.

"A necklace?" Kagome answered, stepping back. She wanted as much space as possible from Naraku.

"Not just any necklace," said Naraku, his smirk widening. "Guess where it's going."

"Let me guess." Kagome said, taking another step backwards. _"Around my neck?"_ She wanted to say but that might give Naraku an idea.

"Why are you edging away from me?" Naraku asked, still smirking. "Trying to escape?" He looked at Kagura.

Kagura moved her fan and directed swirls of wind to Kagome.

Kagome tried to dodge them but they came from all directions. She leaned backwards to the wall. _"No way out?!"_ Kagome thought in horror.

"Unless you want to cut yourself in the blades of wind, you cannot escape from there." Kagura said, laughing evilly at the sight of Kagome's worried face.

Naraku broke the necklace on his hand and the beads fell on the floor. The beads looked like ice pellets and the round pendant glowed a purple shade of light.

_"There are three shards in the pendant…" _Kagome thought, looking at the glowing pendant on the floor.

"If a single shard can't control you, maybe three will be enough to do so." Kagome heard Naraku say.

Naraku pointed a finger at the beads on the floor, as if giving them instructions, then moved his point to Kagome.

Kagome felt fear enter her body. She didn't like the feeling at all.

The beads began to float in midair slowly. Then they began to rush to Kagome, like they were attacking her.

Kagome wanted so badly to dodge but if she would, her body would be cut by the blades of wind surrounding her. She didn't have any other options but to close her eyes and pray that everything would stop. She shut her eyes tight and waited for what would happen next. _"Inuyasha."_ She thought, hoping that Inuyasha would save her right now—but Inuyasha was miles away, searching desperately for her but still far from finding her.

Kagome's body felt like on fire. She could feel something around her neck and when she opened her eyes, the necklace was already around her neck—the pendant shining a faint purple glow.

The wind around her suddenly died and vanished. She touched the necklace around her neck and tried to remove it.

"What?! I can't remove it!" Kagome said, trying extremely to remove the annoying article from her neck.

"Now, do you know what that necklace is?" Naraku asked, smiling wickedly.

_"If I can't remove it, then it must be a—no it couldn't be!" _She fought the thought out of her mind.

"It's a restraining necklace." Naraku told Kagome, enjoying the way Kagome's face looked.

Kagome paused for a moment. "A restraining necklace?" Kagome repeated, a little nervous. _"Like Inuyasha's?" _Kagome wondered.

"If you had a shard inside you, you could easily purify it. So I thought of a necklace to hold down your power and I added Shikon shards in it so I can control you…" Naraku explained. "Completely." He added.

"Controlling me with this pathetic necklace?" said Kagome. "And what if I destroy it?" Kagome said, trying to see Naraku's reaction.

Naraku smirked. "You can't destroy that. I told you it suppresses your power." Naraku said, still looking relaxed. "And if you destroy it, I'm sure you'll regret it. It's better to have that necklace than to destroy it." He added, looking nastily at Kagome.

Kagome glared at him. _"What does he mean by that?!" _Kagome thought, getting tired of seeing Naraku's annoying face. She suddenly heard a giggling voice inside her head.

_"I'm going to take over you now!" _A female voice said. It was the same voice that was laughing a while ago. The voice sounded very much like Kagome's own voice except that it was cold and vicious.

That was the last thing Kagome heard before she fell into deep darkness and became unconscious.

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A/N: Again, I'm really sorry if I was very late in updating. You'll get the next chapter next week. I promise this one! I still have one more week in school and it's really killing me already. By the way, please review this little chapter for me. Kagome's going to be really nasty now and no more flashing back of memories. Naraku has complete control on Kagome's body and guess what? He's going to let Kagome kill Inuyasha. And now not with her bow and arrows or with her sword… More exciting! She's having a new power!!! Hehehe! There's a clue in this chapter… noticed it? Anyway, wait for the next chapter to find out… Confusion or anything? Review this chapter please!!!! Pretty please! Thanks again and have a nice day ahead!


	7. The Mysterious Ice Lady

A/N: Hello to everyone! I know I've got a lot of explaining to do… I'm really sorry I haven't updated for ages! Please do forgive me. I've got few reasons. First, I had vacation in the province so I was separated from my computer and guess what? No computers in that place! Still got to rent one for me to be able to type my story. The computer shop is far from our house there so… Second reason, I was (again) busy with my other fanfic. I better do something or I'll always end up updating late! Third reason, I was editing my previous chapters and hey! I found few errors and they're correct now so you can check 'em out. Last reason, I ran out of money and I can't buy an internet card—so I can't post or do anything! I hate it when I don't have any money!!!!

Again, sorry for being so damn late. Want to thank my reviewers individually:

SenshiofSilence - Yes, I already saw that mistake and I fixed it. Change the word 'into' already. I think it was funny too! Silly me…

Kagome1990 - Yeah, Naraku is always a bastard. Anyway, hope everything turns out well…

Mikopriestess143 - Thanks for the review. I'll surely keep on writing… Thanks to my reviewers…

Hanyou-Girl25 - I'm sorry I didn't update soon… Please forgive me…

Inuyashachic & Iloveanime456 - I will keep on writing… tears of joy Thanks for reviewing…

Inuyashachic515 - Interesting? I'm glad you think so.

Mikoyru Kaniu - It's okay if you didn't review early as long as you review! Thanks for the compliment and yup, I love you (and that goes to all my reviewers as well)

Geminia - Thanks and at last! School is finished! Thanks for wishing me luck!

NobodysAngel - I updated already! Sorry it took so long…

Miru88 - Sorry 'bout the cliffhangers… I just can't stop myself… Hehehe… I'll email you every time I update.

ShadowSpinner - It's okay if you didn't review early. Thanks for reviewing!

Me - I'm terribly sorry but this is not nar/kag. It's Inu/Kag and… I'm really sorry.

Yuko - You noticed the clue?! Wow! You're very observant! Thanks.

Hersheykiss1012 - Thank you for your review! It really flattered me blushes

Ranko And Mr. Panda - At last! I saw you again! Long time no hear from you! Glad I saw your review again! Thank you!

Paui - You liked it? Me so glad you did!

Lynns - You're one of my new reviewers!!!! I'm so glad to have you around! Thanks for reading! Please read some more!!

robinsama - They ARE annoying but anyway, I like them that way so... I hope you'll be patient. Sweet and romantic parts are coming later, for now... they have to FIGHT.

Lil Ole Me 97 - Thanks for reading. I can't help but get flattered by your compliments. Hehehe... Thanks and hope to see more of your reviews! Ciao!

To all of those listed above, I'm so happy to see your names there in the reviews! Wow! You keep me going on. Because actually, I felt like giving up on this fanfic but then when I saw your reviews I said: "Hey! They actually liked it!" I was so surprised and really glad. Thanks and please keep on reviewing. This fanfic will surely go on till the end!

To all my other reviewers who didn't review my previous chapter, Where Are You?! I just want to know if you're still there somewhere… Please review! Another thing, I want to see new reviewers… Hope to see a couple of them this chapter! And I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to those people who placed me and my story in their lists of Favorite Authors and Stories. Especially those who did both. I'm so honored and so I became more inspired to continue this story and make it more interesting and more fun! Thanks to all of you!

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Disclaimer: I'm not trying to own Inuyasha or whatsoever. I just want to make a story out of Ms. Takahashi's wonderful characters so don't sue me. Inuyasha is definitely not mine although I really like it to be mine.

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Chapter 7

**_The Mysterious Ice Lady _**

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"You haven't seen any girl around here?" Miroku repeated to the old woman he was talking to.

"You said she has black hair and she's wearing odd set of clothes?" The old woman said then she closed her eyes to think again.

Miroku looked at the old woman hopefully, praying that she had seen Kagome.

The woman opened her eyes and sighed. "No," She said sadly. "I really don't remember seeing that girl around here." She continued.

"Is that so…" Miroku looked down, looking quite disappointed. "Anyway, thank you for your help." He finally said, flashing a grateful smile at the old woman.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much of a help," replied the old woman then smiled softly.

Inuyasha walked forward to the old woman, his arms folded in front of him. "Babaa, haven't you seen a girl wearing red kimono with white flowers on it?" Inuyasha asked, staring impatiently at the old woman for her answer.

The old woman looked at Inuyasha then looked above, thinking. "Red kimono, you say…" She said, still looking above. "Sorry but I haven't seen that girl either." The old woman answered, looking at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha silently clenched his fists, trying to control his rising temper. _"Another failure!"_ Inuyasha thought angrily. _"This has been the third village we've searched and still no sign of Kagome. Where the hell did Naraku hide her?!" _

The old woman looked sympathetically at Inuyasha then said to him, "Why not try looking for her in the next village? The next village is just nearby; if you'll leave now, you'll be able to reach it early in the morning."

Inuyasha gave a small nod and turned his back to leave. "Let's go then." He said.

Miroku nodded then turned to the old woman. "We're very sorry we bothered you." Miroku said, bowing to show respect.

The old woman smiled to Miroku. "It's nothing." She said. "I hope you find her soon…" She added, looking worriedly at Inuyasha. "He seems so worried about her." She said to Miroku, still looking at Inuyasha.

Miroku smiled at the old woman and said, "He is."

-

Like the old woman had said, they arrived in the next town early in the morning. The sky was peaceful and blue while the sun made its way higher into the skies.

But Inuyasha and the others were again unsuccessful. The village people didn't have any idea of Kagome's whereabouts. So after having another painful failure, they decided to continue their journey and look for another town.

At noon, they found a lake nearby and so they decided to take a break and eat their lunch.

After catching some fish in the lake, they built a fire to cook their food.

"The fish is cooked! We can eat now!" Shippou exclaimed happily, looking longingly at the broiling fish on the fire.

They were about to start eating when a running person suddenly appeared and approached them.

"Help us!" The young woman said, almost begging them. She was a young girl not older than seventeen with straight black hair that ran past her shoulders. She suddenly knelt in front of Miroku, looking exhausted from her journey.

Miroku was about to ask the girl her name when all of a sudden, tears began to fall from her warm black eyes.

As expected, Miroku immediately comforted the weeping girl. He pulled the girl closer to him, giving her a hug, and patted her back gently.

"Hey, stop crying. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." Miroku said, soothing the girl to make her stop crying.

The girl didn't mind Miroku's actions at all. She didn't seem to notice what Miroku was actually doing; she just continued to shed tears.

On the other hand, Sango was ready to spit fire at Miroku any second. His actions were now very annoying for her; she couldn't take it any longer.

"Why are you crying? What happened?" Sango asked the girl, trying to be helpful and forgetting Miroku's unusual and _annoying _behavior toward girls.

Miroku caught Sango's eye and he immediately received a deadly 'Stop-Being-Perverted' glare from her. At that very instant, Miroku felt his whole body become cold. He slowly withdrew his arm around the girl and gave a small nervous smile at Sango.

Sango just gave him another sharp look then looked back at the sobbing girl. But then, deep inside, Sango was somehow glad—Miroku finally got the message of her deadly glares.

The girl gently inched herself away from Miroku and began wiping her tear-streaked eyes.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, her voice was faint and quivering. "My name is Hikari and I came from the next village over there." She said, pointing the direction where she had come from. She turned her head to Sango and said, "Do you know where I can find a nearby town? I really need to get there as soon as possible."

"We just came there," said Sango. "Why do you need to get there?"

"I have to get help," replied Hikari. "My village has been attacked lately and many people were killed. If we don't do something, she'll be killing the whole village!" She said, clenching her fists tightly. "Our village men can't stop her because she's too powerful so we thought of getting help from another village so we can defeat her. That's why they sent me to get help and I can't let them down. My whole village's life depends on me."

"She?" Miroku repeated uncertainly. "Who is that _she_ you're talking about?" He asked.

"We don't know her name. But the village people call her _Ice Lady_ because she has the power to control ice. She's the one making ice dolls to destroy our village." Hikari explained. "My mother and father said that maybe she's got Shikon shards that's why she's so powerful." Hikari added, looking worried about her family.

"Shikon shards?!" Sango said in surprise.

"Yes," said Hikari. She stood up and looked down at Sango. "I'm sorry again for bothering you." She said.

Sango shook her head side to side and said, "It was nothing."

"I must be going now," said Hikari. "Umm… so where is the village again?" She asked Sango.

Sango looked sideways at Inuyasha. He wasn't paying any attention about the whole thing. He had just finished eating his lunch and he didn't even look interested about the Shikon shards they would acquire when they finished helping Hikari._ "What's with Inuyasha? He's acting really weird. Usually, once he hears the word 'Shikon shard', he'll never hesitate to go and check out things. But now, he doesn't even care about the shards?!" _Sango thought unbelievingly. She looked back at Hikari and said, "The village is just—"

"Hey girl, how far is your village from here?" Inuyasha interrupted, looking at Hikari.

Sango looked at Inuyasha, looking quite shocked. "Inuyasha," whispered Sango, now looking pleased and grateful at the same time. _"Okay," _Sango thought, taking back her thoughts a while ago. _"So he does care... just like before." _

Inuyasha didn't take his look away from Hikari. "So are you going to tell me?" Inuyasha asked, getting impatient easily like always.

Hikari also looked at Inuyasha like the way Sango first looked at Inuyasha—she was shocked. Of course, she'd be shocked. How many times did you encounter a _youkai_—or _half-youkai_—trying to help a human? It just happened once in a blue moon.

"Or would you rather stare at me forever?!" Inuyasha asked sarcastically, glaring a little at Hikari.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hikari said, looking apologetically at Inuyasha. "I'd just like to ask, if you don't mind answering," She looked at Inuyasha's dog ears then back at his face. "You're a _youkai_, right?"

"No, he's not." Shippou immediately answered for Inuyasha. "He's a _hanyou_. Ouch!" Shippou flung his hands instantly to his head to rub a small swelling bump Inuyasha had just given him.

"You little jerk!" Inuyasha spat, glowering at Shippou.

"_Hanyou_?" Hikari said. "You mean you're only a _half-youkai_?" She asked in disbelief.

"Got a problem with that?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Hikari straight in the eye.

Hikari shook her head and smiled. "No, it's just that I thought you were a _youkai_…" She answered.

"Don't worry; I'll be one pretty soon." Inuyasha said confidently.

Hikari sat back down close to Sango and whispered to her, while still looking at Inuyasha sideways, "Is he really—I mean—is he—er—_good_?"

Sango looked at Hikari and smiled. "I know he doesn't look anything near to good but he is, trust me." Sango whispered back and winked at her.

"So can we go now so we can finish the task?!" said Inuyasha, getting annoyed with the whispering they'd been doing in front of him. "We still have to look for Kagome after going to that village." Inuyasha reminded them as he stood up and tucked Tetsusaiga on his side.

"Who's Kagome?" Hikari asked curiously, also standing up.

"Will you stop asking stupid questions?!" Inuyasha snapped at Hikari, suddenly glaring at her.

"If you didn't want to answer, you could have said it nicely!" Hikari retorted, looking very irritated with Inuyasha's temper.

"Keh! Shut up!" Inuyasha shouted, turning his back on Hikari and folding his arms stubbornly.

"I haven't seen anyone become as annoying as this guy!" Hikari said to Sango as she glared at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha just looked away from Hikari, giving Hikari more reasons to get annoyed with him every minute that went by.

"Try being around him for the whole day," suggested Sango. "You'll get used to it." She said, standing up. "Kirara!" Sango called.

Kirara obediently came in front of Sango and transformed into a huge yellow cat _youkai_.

"Good idea, Sango!" Miroku commented, congratulating Sango. "We'll be able to reach Hikari's village faster."

All of them except Inuyasha clambered on Kirara to get on with their journey. Hikari told Sango the directions and then Kirara began flying on midair while Inuyasha hopped from tree to tree, just beside them.

Hikari glanced at Inuyasha's direction and said to Sango, "Why doesn't he join us here?"

"You mean on Kirara?" Sango asked. "He loves to do things on his own. As much as possible he doesn't ask for help." Sango answered, looking at Inuyasha leaping from one tree to another like a cat. _"He looks like a dog but he pounces more like a cat…" _Sango thought, smiling to herself.

"He's really weird. I can't understand him," said Hikari, also looking at Inuyasha.

"Yeah." Sango agreed. "Nobody understands him that much." Sango continued. "Well, —except for Kagome-chan. The two are really close to each other." She added, smiling at Hikari. _"Although Inuyasha and Kagome-chan always fight over silly matters." _Sango wanted to add but she decided it would be better if she wouldn't.

"Kagome?" Hikari said. "Where is she then?" She asked curiously.

Sango looked down and tightened her fist. "She's missing." Sango said flatly.

Hikari's face suddenly softened. "I'm sorry," said Hikari. "Inuyasha must be very depressed." She added, staring at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha caught Hikari's eyes fixed on him. He looked at Hikari with an annoyed expression on his face. "Will you quit staring at me?! I really don't like it!" Inuyasha said, glaring at her.

Hikari looked away from Inuyasha and instead looked at Sango. "We're getting close already." Hikari told Sango then she looked at the sun. It was hanging low in the sky, almost disappearing behind the high mountains. "By the time the sun sets, we'll be able to reach my village." She continued and looked down. "I just hope she hasn't attacked yet," whispered Hikari, worrying about her family and fellow villagers.

Inuyasha continued to leap from tree to tree smoothly, looking in front of him. "Annoying girl." Inuyasha muttered to himself, throwing another glare on Hikari's direction. Inuyasha suddenly felt his heart stop beating when he sniffed the air.

_"Blood is scattered in the air!" _Inuyasha thought, looking alarmed. He turned to Hikari and shouted, "Hey! Are we near already?!"

Hikari looked at Inuyasha with confusion on her face. She turned to look at the sun but it had completely set. The whole place was dim and the sky was very dark even though the moon shone. "Very near already," replied Hikari. "Why are you asking?" She added, her curiosity suddenly urged her to ask Inuyasha.

"I smell blood around us." Inuyasha answered, clenching his fist firmly. "All of you stay on the ground while I check out things up in there." Inuyasha said, looking up in the sky.

Miroku and the others nodded obediently, not wanting to disagree with Inuyasha while he was having his bad temper around.

Inuyasha also nodded in return and then leaped very high in the air to get a view of the village.

Inuyasha immediately set his eyes to look for any sign of the village. He easily found it due to his keen eyesight even though his surroundings were extremely dark. The village was sparkling as the moon's feeble light reached it. He picked up a familiar scent in the night breeze and felt his hopes rising up.

_"It's Kagome's scent! She's in the village?!" _thought Inuyasha, feeling himself sigh in relief. _"At least, she's still alive."_ But relief instantly left Inuyasha when he remembered the reason why they were going to the village—the _Ice Lady_._ "If Kagome is really staying in that village—she's going to be in danger!" _Inuyasha thought worriedly. He landed gracefully on the ground where the others were waiting.

"How's my village?" Hikari asked, her eyes shone an expression of anxiety.

Inuyasha looked at her and said, "It's shimmering." He quickly turned his look to Miroku and said, "I picked up Kagome's scent when I was up there. My guess is she's in the village."

"Are you sure it's Kagome?" Shippou asked.

"Well, it really smells like her but… it's really faint. I'm not so sure anymore." Inuyasha answered.

"We must hurry then," said Miroku, understanding that Inuyasha's priority was to see Kagome—safe.

"The village is really near." Inuyasha told them. "We'll be there in a few minutes." He said and turned his back to them. "Let's go." Inuyasha bounded towards a high branch of a nearby tree and started jumping continuously from tree to tree.

Inuyasha looked on ahead and sped up, leaving the others totally behind. Finally, the forest ended and Inuyasha could see the village clearly ahead. It was bizarrely silent and Inuyasha couldn't sense any evil _youki_ around the village. Inuyasha knew exactly why the village was sparkling now—there was _ice_ all over the village. Inuyasha suddenly felt panic in his heart when he saw the village's condition. He immediately rushed towards the village, not bothering to wait for the others anymore.

_"The village has been attacked and Kagome might be in trouble!" _Inuyasha thought as he hurried up to the village.

Inuyasha looked around him for any sign of movement. There was none. But he could still sense live people within the village—but they were weak.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha turned to see who had called him and saw Miroku and the others running towards him.

"What took you so long?!" Inuyasha grumbled, looking at them.

"Never mind that now," said Miroku. "We're already here."

Hikari ran to a nearby rundown cottage straight away.

"Mother! Father!" Hikari called out. There was no reply.

"Why in the world is she shouting like that?!" Inuyasha muttered as he and the others strode after her.

Hikari came out of the hut, looking disheartened.

"Found anything?" Inuyasha asked, looking at her uncaringly with his arms folded in front of him.

Hikari shook her head glumly. "My parents… I can't find them." She whispered, holding back her tears.

A sudden creaking sound caught the group's attention. They all looked on the door of the next house and then a figure of a woman came out of the door. She had cuts on her face and her arms and blood was oozing from her wounds.

"Hikari, is that you?" The woman asked, holding onto the door for support.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, Hikari rushed towards the woman and hugged her.

"Thank goodness, you're alive!" Hikari said, tears welling on her eyes. "We should treat your wounds." She said thoughtfully, helping her mother walk towards their house.

Hikari carefully seated her mother on the floor then she and Sango worked together to treat her wounds.

"What happened here?" Hikari asked her mother.

"She attacked again." Her mother said. "The _Ice Lady_ started slaying our fellow villagers again. The remaining men of our village couldn't do anything to stop her so we just hid ourselves and waited for her to go away." She held Hikari's hand on hers and tears began to trickle down her eyes. "Hikari, she also killed your father…"

Hikari looked down and clenched her fist. "I'll make her pay for what she did to us, I promise." Hikari said, allowing her tears to fall down silently.

Hikari's mother went to stare at Inuyasha and then at the others. "Hikari, why are they here?" She asked her daughter.

"They're here to help us get rid of that monster." Hikari replied. She looked at Inuyasha and said, "You will help us, right?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha looked away from Hikari and folded his arms. "If she's got Shikon shards like you say," said Inuyasha.

"He will help you, don't worry." Sango assured Hikari. "He just doesn't want to make a big deal out of it." Sango said. "And we'll help too." Sango added, jabbing Miroku at the side.

Miroku coughed a little and said, "Yeah, don't worry."

"Thank you," said Hikari, smiling gratefully at them. "I really appreciate your help."

"Don't mention it," replied Sango, smiling back kindly.

Inuyasha turned his back and went towards the door. "I'll just go out and check out the village for something." He said, before stepping out of the hut. "And," He turned around to give them a warning look. "No one should follow me, all of you stay here." He added, finally leaving the cottage to take a look around.

"Strange," Inuyasha whispered to himself. "Kagome's scent has just vanished. She 's no longer in this village, I can't sense her anymore." Inuyasha looked around and found lots of ice chunks pierced on the ground. It's like a rain of ice had just happened in this village. _"Does this mean Kagome—was also killed?" _Inuyasha thought but instantly shove the thought out of his mind. "It can't be, I couldn't smell her blood in the air. And now that I think of it, I can't smell any blood in the air. But just a while ago, blood filled the air." Inuyasha said to himself. "How come it all disappeared so suddenly_—_including Kagome's scent? It's really weird." He thought and thought about the possible answer to his questions but he didn't seem to get even a single answer. _"Is it possible that I just imagined sensing her in this village? Maybe she isn't really here," _thought Inuyasha, walking back towards the cottage.

_"Another weird thing, I couldn't feel anything evil from this village," _thought Inuyasha, looking at the ice slabs._ "How come I can't even sense any youki from these ice blocks? How did she hide her youki?" _Confusion about the _Ice Lady's _abilities bothered Inuyasha as he continued to walk back to the hut. "This is definitely giving me a bad feeling." Inuyasha muttered to himself.

-

"How are things going outside?" Miroku asked when Inuyasha finally came back.

"Weird." Inuyasha answered. "I just found lots of ice outside." He continued, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Did you sense anything that can help us when she attacks again?" Miroku asked.

"No, not a thing." Inuyasha replied.

"She's returning tomorrow morning to finish the rest of us." Hikari's mother spoke out. "She said it herself."

"Good!" Inuyasha said, smirking. "At least she has scheduled her visit. All we have to do is wait for her." Inuyasha continued. He rested on his side, his head resting on his hand. "Just wake me up when something interesting happens." Inuyasha told them then closed his eyes.

"Inuyasha," said Miroku.

Inuyasha didn't open his eyes but he was listening to Miroku.

Miroku knew that Inuyasha was still wide-awake so he continued, "Did you find any trace of Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at Miroku seriously. "No," replied Inuyasha. "I can't sense her at all."

"Maybe she really wasn't here." Miroku suggested to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shrugged and turned his back to the others. _"Maybe…" _Inuyasha thought to himself, closing his eyes completely as his hopes of seeing Kagome again sunk low once more.

-

Inuyasha jerked his eyes open and sat up. Something had woken him up but he didn't know what it was. He looked around the room; no one was awake except for him. He peeked through the window to see what was going on outside. Everything seemed to be all right. But Inuyasha could sense something bad—very bad—was about to happen, he didn't like the feeling it gave him.

Kirara slowly stirred then her eyes suddenly opened. She gave a short purr at Inuyasha then walked closer to him.

"Can you feel it too, Kirara?" Inuyasha asked, patting her head lightly.

Kirara tilted her head and continued to stare at Inuyasha with her huge red eyes.

"I wonder why I'm feeling like this…" Inuyasha said, looking through the window again. The sun had started to rise and it didn't take long before the sun's light reached the village. Finally, it was _morning_.

Kirara faced the door and began growling loudly as she stared at it.

"What's the matter, Kirara?" Inuyasha looked questioningly at Kirara.

A sudden crashing sound from outside woke up the whole village.

"What's that?!" Sango said as she sat up.

Another crashing sound—like something large was thrown to the village.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, standing up and facing the door. "She's here!" He hurriedly went outside and saw new large pieces of ice planted on the ground. Inuyasha looked around to see the one responsible for the trouble in the village but she couldn't be found. "Reveal yourself, bitch!" Inuyasha shouted, drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath and transforming it.

"I said get the hell out of that damn hiding place of yours!" Inuyasha yelled, his temper going out of control. "Heh!" Inuyasha sneered. "Are you scared to die?"

No answer.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha turned around and saw Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara running towards him.

"Why did you leave the cottage?!" Inuyasha barked angrily at them.

"We came to help you!" Shippou answered, looking pissed off with Inuyasha's ungrateful behavior.

"You'll just get in my way!" Inuyasha retorted.

Shippou clenched his small fists and glared at Inuyasha. "Why you—"

"Cut the crap and let's finish our business," Sango interrupted, stopping the ensuing fight between Inuyasha and Shippou. "So where is she?" Sango asked Inuyasha while she looked around for her herself.

"Annoying bitch!" Inuyasha growled. "She's hiding." Inuyasha told them, placing Tetsusaiga back inside its sheath coolly. "She's really _annoying_." Inuyasha complained as he sounded his knuckles impatiently.

Another sharp-edged ice block began to fall from the sky—directing to…

"Hikari!" Sango shouted in alarm as the pointed slab of ice continued to fall right towards Hikari's head.

Inuyasha quickly went to Hikari and before the ice could pierce her head, he slashed the ice into little fragments with his claws. He turned his head to Hikari and looked angrily at her. "What are you doing in here?! You must be inside with your mother!" He scolded.

Hikari took her hands off above her head and looked at Inuyasha with determined eyes. "I want to—" Hikari paused when she saw more large pieces of pointed ice directed to them. "Inuyasha! Look out!"

Before another half-second could pass, Inuyasha scooped Hikari from the ground she was standing on and jumped away. He landed beside Miroku and carefully placed Hikari beside him. He turned to Miroku and said, "You protect her." After that, Inuyasha walked forward and looked straight ahead confidently. "Will you keep on attacking us like that? It's very futile, you know." He said mockingly.

Still no answer from her.

"Shish! Why don't you speak up?! Damn it!" Inuyasha grumbled, gritting his teeth.

Inuyasha expected that she still wouldn't talk to him but Inuyasha's ears suddenly picked up a light giggle from a girl.

_"Why in the world is she laughing?!" _Inuyasha's mind asked, getting annoyed with the tone of her giggle.

"Are you annoyed with me already?" She said, her voice was weak but Inuyasha could still hear it clearly. She sounded happy that she was causing him nothing else but pain. Her voice was familiar. It reminded him of—what? Inuyasha didn't know exactly.

_"Perhaps Kikyou…"_ Inuyasha thought gravely. _"They have the same kind of voice—cold and spiteful—a voice that was filled with hatred. But... there's something else... I don't know exactly."_

Inuyasha was really surprised that she had finally spoke up. "Very annoyed." Inuyasha said, emphasizing the word 'very' when he spoke.

"Okay then." Inuyasha heard her say. "Let's just finish this."

Another set of ice spears suddenly appeared, aiming for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha dodged them without any difficulty by jumping up in the air. He landed back on the ground and scoffed at the ice spears, which were now pierced on the ground he was standing on a tenth of a second ago. "Can't you do something better?" Inuyasha said, looking bored with their fight.

"Bored?" She asked, sounding more like a purring cat. "I'm bored too." She continued. "Why don't we play a different kind of game?"

Tall ice boulders began to fall from the ground continuously, almost covering the whole place. As the ice boulders fell, they created a thick fog that made the whole place chilly and misty.

"Perfect! Now the village is ready for our game." She said, sounding really pleased with her work.

"I'm not in the mood to play games with you!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.

"Not in the mood?" She said, trying to sound disappointed although she sounded more like she was glad that Inuyasha was mad at her. "Never mind, you'll still play with me, whether you like it or not!" She said happily.

"Let's see if you can convince me," Inuyasha said, extending his sharp claws while he grinned wickedly.

"Okay," She said then laughed softly like a little girl. "I'm going to enjoy this." She said.

A short, thin and pointed piece of icicle—more like the size of a dagger—began to move towards Inuyasha.

Like the previous attacks, Inuyasha avoided it without any trouble.

"What are you up to now?!" Inuyasha demanded, clenching his fist.

"You said I must convince you so that's what I'm doing now." She answered sweetly. "But maybe you'll be _more_ convinced to play with me if I come out and face you. What do you think, Inuyasha?"

"Cut the talk and come out!" Inuyasha said, drawing Tetsusaiga from its scabbard again. "So I can kill you!"

"Kill me?" She repeated, sounding rather amazed by Inuyasha's words. "Do you really want to kill me, Inuyasha?" She said, trying to sound offended.

A sudden gust of cold air started to blow around them.

Inuyasha felt his heart beating faster and faster as the wind grew stronger. The fog began to vanish but still the chilliness in the air stayed. Somehow, Inuyasha could feel the cold entering his body and he wasn't comfortable with it.

"Nice to see you—again, Inuyasha." She said.

Inuyasha looked immediately above and finally, he saw the appearance of the annoying culprit.

Upon seeing her face, Inuyasha's questions about her were finally answered. The answer why Inuyasha couldn't feel her youki was very obvious—she wasn't a _youkai_ but instead she was a human.

Inuyasha felt his heart stop beating as he continued to stare at her. A nightmare was about to commence… She was the very girl Inuyasha had longed to see. Now Inuyasha remembered what other thing he had remembered when he heard _her _voice. He didn't remember only Kikyou when he heard _her_ voice—she had also remembered _Kagome_. It was Kagome's voice—mixed with the coldness Kikyou's voice had. And after all, it was really her. It was _Kagome_.

"_Ka-Kagome!_" Inuyasha said, not able to believe what his eyes were seeing.

"Yes, Inuyasha." Kagome said, smirking as she looked down at him. "It's me."

"Kagome, you're the one killing the people in this village?!" Inuyasha said, looking at Kagome with wounded eyes. "Why did you do that?"

Kagome smiled evilly. "Because…" She paused and looked straight into Inuyasha's eyes. "I want to." She continued. "I enjoy playing with them and when I'm through," Kagome's smirk became wider. "I kill them."

Inuyasha clenched his fist as he looked at the girl in front of him. _"She just said that like their lives were nothing to her." _Inuyasha thought. New questions arose from Inuyasha's mind. _"Is she really Kagome? What did Naraku do to her this time?!" _Inuyasha's mind wanted to scream. _"Why is this happening?"_ Inuyasha wanted to ask Kagome—but he couldn't. The way her eyes looked at him without hesitation—like she wanted him dead.

Kagome didn't take her eyes off Inuyasha's golden eyes. "Tell you what, Inuyasha." Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha with keen interest. "You'll be my next toy."

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A/N: OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!! I was able to finish this chapter! Whew! ' Now, it's your turn to do your part. Again (and again), I'm really sorry for taking so looooooong. So many things going on here. Plenty of outings and picnics… Anyway, please leave me some comments. Please review! Yeah, I haven't mentioned yet how Kagome looks like and the other stuffs about her… It's on the next chapter so I guess, you'll have to be very patient with me… This chapter's long, don't you think? Please folks, the reviews! Keep 'em coming or I won't post again for centuries…. Hehehe… Lol! Just kidding! I'll try my best to post faster… Thanks for reading!


	8. Kagome's Voice

A/N: Thank you so much to all those who reviewed. I appreciate your messages and that's why I'm still here. Here's the next chapter and I hope you'll really like it. This one's short (for me) but I really enjoyed writing this part so… let's get on with the story! Just don't forget to review after reading, okay? Tell me something. The longer the reviews the better!

Want to welcome my new readers! (and an old one who just showed up now…) -

Lynns- Hey! How did you find my story? Hehehe… Just curious… Anyway, thanks for dropping reviews. Sorry for taking so long to update. I'm busy with school stuffs.

robinsama- Yeah, they ARE childish, that's why I love 'em! Love writing stories that are childish for some people but for me I think it's sweet. I'm a weirdo!!! Lol!

Lil Ole Me 97- See! Your review flattered me again!!! blushes Of course, I want all of you here! About your question, I don't mind it being off subject—yeah I love Harry Potter! You love reading it too? I have a fanfic here about Harry Potter. It's Harry/Ginny 'cause I love Ginny very much! She rulez!!! By the way, I loved the long review… Long reviews are better to read!!!

Kagome-Krystal- Thanks for reading!!! I'm very happy you liked it!!! Just keep on reading because there's more install for all of you!

Jcheung- Please leave your e-mail ad so I can mail you when I update. Thanks for the review. Adds up to my inspiration…

Shippou09- It's all right if you don't review all chaps, although reviewing all will make me super happy, I'm still glad you really took your time just to leave some words for me. Thank you.

Neenee- Sorry if you have to wait, hope you'll understand 'cause I'm still a student and I really need to study hard. Did you receive my e-mail? Thanks for leaving your address!

LoneWolf24- Thanks a lot for putting me on your favorite Author's list! It really made me happy!!!! dances around the room

Eddie- You came back! So where have you been?

Whisperingecho73- Sorry about not being able to update early. Sorry… Thank you for reviewing!

Dead thingy- Don't worry, I won't be abandoning this one… But it might take me a while to update… I hate school!

Animelubber99- Please don't die! I'm afraid of ghosts…. Just wait, I'll still update. '

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha is NOT mine. NOT mine. NOT mine. That's the point of this disclaimer and so… here's chapter eight!!!!

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Chapter 8

**_Kagome's Voice_**

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Sango turned her gaze from Kagome to Hikari. "Hikari, you haven't told us that she's human?!"

Hikari glared at Kagome as she answered Sango. "A human _without_ a heart isn't considered human at all! She's a monster!" She said. "Besides, what's the difference if I told you?"

Sango looked at Kagome. "Because the person you are calling _Ice Lady_, she is Kagome-chan." Sango explained, looking heartbroken.

"What do you mean 'she is Kagome'?" Hikari asked in confusion. "Don't tell me—she's the same Kagome that you are looking for?!"

Sango looked down and replied, "She's the same Kagome-chan I've been telling you."

"But—that's impossible!" Hikari said, looking at Kagome. "If she is Kagome, how come she plans to kill Inuyasha?!"

"If I know the answer to that question, I'd gladly tell you but…" Sango looked worriedly at Inuyasha. "For now, I don't know why these things are happening. One thing I'm sure—Naraku's behind this… again." She told Hikari.

Hikari furrowed her brows, unable to understand Sango. "Naraku?" She said. "Who is Naraku?"

"He is the very reason of our miseries. The reason why all of us are suffering right now." Sango replied, looking at Inuyasha then back to Kagome. _"Inuyasha, please help Kagome-chan." _Sango prayed silently in her mind. She turned her head to Miroku and asked, "Do you think Inuyasha can save Kagome-chan this time?"

Miroku glanced at Kagome then returned his look at Sango. "I don't know." He replied. "If only we know what happened to Kagome-sama, maybe there's a bigger chance."

Shippou looked at Miroku and said, "Do you think Naraku has changed Kagome's memory again?"

"It's possible." Miroku said. "But I don't have any idea how Inuyasha can save Kagome-sama. If Kagome-sama really wants Inuyasha dead, Inuyasha's got to fight her or he'll be the one ending up dead."

"But Inuyasha will never do anything to hurt Kagome-chan." Sango reasoned.

"Now, that is the problem." Miroku said.

Hikari looked at Inuyasha worriedly as she clenched her fists tighter. "Can't we do anything to help?" Hikari said, feeling bad about not being able to do anything during the situation.

-

Inuyasha continued to stare at Kagome. Everything around him seemed silent and immobile—as if time had stopped running. Inuyasha only saw one thing that seemed to be alive for him—Kagome.

There she was, sitting on a crescent block of crystal ice, looking at him with a smirk on her lips. The color of her kimono changed from an intense shade of red into a light peaceful shade of blue—much like the color of a cloudless sky—with glistening white designs sprinkled everywhere that made it look like a snowing sky. Her hair was the usual raven black only it was bejeweled with an ice crystal headband with sparkling circular blue stones inserted in it. Her eyes didn't have any spark of warmth in them but instead, it was filled with coldness—no trace of Kagome's old cheerful eyes. She was wearing ice dangling earrings and her wrists were also donned with crystal bracelets. Around her neck, she wore a necklace of ice blue beads with a purple round pendant—looking much like the complete Shikon no Tama. All of the accessories she was wearing were made of ice—or they really looked much like ice.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as she slowly descended towards the ground. She alighted from her seat and stood gracefully on the ground, a short distance from Inuyasha. On her hand, she held a long silver baton with a transparent glass ball on top of it. She tapped the ground lightly with her staff and after her staff gave a faint white glow, her seat of ice vanished mysteriously. She looked at Inuyasha, who was looking at her silently with questioning eyes. "Were you expecting someone else?" She asked.

Inuyasha continued to look at her but said nothing.

"You talked so much a while ago but now that you've seen me, you suddenly fell silent." Kagome said, looking glad that she brought Inuyasha more sorrow and pain. "I guess I really surprised you then!" She said happily. "How about continuing our game now?" She lifted her silver baton with ease and summoned more ice daggers. They hurriedly surrounded her to fulfill her command.

Inuyasha couldn't do anything but hold Tetsusaiga tighter and wait.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, anticipating his move. She sighed impatiently and said, "I guess I'll be the one to make the first move then."

She twirled her baton and pointed it straight to Inuyasha. "Dancing Icicle Daggers!" She commanded.

Immediately, the ice daggers began to attack Inuyasha. This time, they were faster and harder to avoid— or perhaps Inuyasha was still upset with the fact that his _enemy _was Kagome so he couldn't concentrate at all.

Inuyasha tried very hard to shield his body from the pointed ice daggers but still the ice made its way to graze his red kimonoand scratch his face.

Inuyasha continued to stare at Kagome's eyes as the ice continued to attack him. His mind kept on asking but he didn't find any answer in her eyes.

"What's with that look, Inuyasha?" Kagome said, looking bored and annoyed. "Haven't you overcome your shock yet?"

Inuyasha didn't answer Kagome. He removed his eyes from Kagome, not bearing to see her with such coldness in her eyes—like she had become a _youkai _herself.

"Don't tell me you don't have any plans of killing me anymore?!" Kagome said, finally stopping her attack.

_"How could I kill you? Just the thought of losing you makes me weak. How do you think can I do such thing to you?!" _Inuyasha wanted to tell her those words but his voice seemed to be lost. All he could do was shake his head.

"Pathetic," said Kagome. "don't expect that I wouldn't kill you too. I tend to keep my promise to Naraku. I _will_ kill you."

"That bastard!" Inuyasha growled angrily.

A sudden ice spear appeared in midair, aiming at Kagome's neck.

Immediately sensing that Kagome was in danger, Inuyasha leaped to her side and hurriedly carried her in his arms in the nick of time to save her.

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome in his arms, feeling relieved that she was safe.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha, her arms around his neck. "You saved me…?" Kagome whispered, unable to believe she was saved by the person she wanted to kill so much.

Kagome suddenly smirked and began to laugh. "Naraku was right." She told Inuyasha. "I thought he was just lying but he was really right. You are a _jerk_. You really can't kill me."

Inuyasha felt Kagome point an ice dagger at his neck threateningly. "One wrong move and this dagger will go through your neck." She said, looking straight into his eyes coldly. She slowly removed her arms around his neck but still continued to point the dagger at Inuyasha's neck. "Put me down." She ordered.

Inuyasha obediently did what he was ordered to do.

"Kagome, why are you acting this way?" Inuyasha finally asked her but he didn't dare look at her in the eyes. She reminded him so much of Kikyou, the way she laughed and talked to him.

Back to her feet again, she looked at Inuyasha and replied, "It's because I _hate_ you." She slowly stepped back to put enough distance between her and Inuyasha.

"And because I hate you, you should die. And since you don't feel like killing me, I'll just do the honor of killing _you_." Kagome said, conjuring a large number of longer ice daggers—more like ice spears now. "Prepare to die!" She said, lifting her baton to execute the fatal attack.

Before she could completely swing her baton, her ice spears suddenly broke into pieces.

Kagome tapped her baton strongly to the ground and closed her eyes to control her temper.

She opened her eyes once again and heaved a sigh. "I thought you didn't want to come with me…" Kagome said, looking at a distant, "…Naraku. So what do you want now?"

-

Naraku smiled in his hiding place, feeling glad that his minion recognized him quite well. He jumped out of his hideout to join Kagome.

"I was worried about you. You said you were just going out to play a little but it took you too long so I followed." Naraku said.

"Worried?" Kagome repeated, smirking. "I didn't know you knew how to worry about anyone, Naraku." Kagome replied, unconvinced by Naraku's lame excuse.

"I can do whatever I want and I'm not obligated to explain anything to you." Naraku said.

Kagome smirked at Naraku and said, "Same here. I can do whatever I want."

"You're still under me." Naraku told her, eyeing her sharply. "So, you finally found him." He looked at Inuyasha with interest.

"Actually, he's the one who found me." Kagome said, beaming at Naraku proudly. "I was going to finish him off already when you came and _ruined_ everything!" She said, glaring at him for interrupting her.

Naraku looked at Kagome's direction calmly and said, "You're too carried away with your feelings." He wasn't wearing his baboon coat that Kagome could clearly see his eyes looking straight at her.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Kagome asked, annoyed with the placid expression on Naraku's face.

"That means you shouldn't be killing him that easily." Naraku replied, smirking as he looked at Inuyasha. "If you'll kill him now, you didn't send him to hell instead you helped him finish his misery and reach his only refuge." He said, trying to change Kagome's mind.

"I don't care whether he goes to hell or wherever." Kagome answered. "I just want to finish my business with him."

"You will not finish your business with him just like that," said Naraku, glaring at her for being so persistent.

Kagome glared back at him but still she gave in. "Fine," She finally said, stepping aside. She conjured a seat for herself and sat down. "Do whatever you want with him." She said. She glanced at Miroku and the others, who were still standing in their positions, watching Inuyasha with worry on their faces. "Do you want any intrusions?" Kagome asked Naraku.

"No." Naraku replied. "I'll appreciate it very much if you'll do something about _them_."

"Okay," answered Kagome. She pointed her baton to Miroku and the others' direction and made an ice barrier that prevented them from moving forward to help Inuyasha. "I guess that will be enough." She said, smiling contentedly to herself.

-

Miroku and the others tried to break the ice barrier that Kagome made but it was no use. The ice was too thick and strong for all of them.

"What will happen to Inuyasha now?" Hikari asked worriedly to Sango.

Sango looked worriedly at Inuyasha. "Let's just pray that he will survive this…" She said then glanced at Kagome. _"Kagome-chan, won't you do anything to help him? Please help Inuyasha!" _Sango thought, looking hopefully at her.

"Is that Naraku strong?" Hikari asked.

"I hate to admit it but he really is." Miroku answered. "With Inuyasha's situation now, I don't know if he can endure more pain than he already has…"

_"Inuyasha…" _Hikari thought worriedly as she looked at him.

-

Naraku leered at Inuyasha and asked him, "What can you say about Kagome now?"

Inuyasha looked at the situation of his friends and growled. _"What will I do now?"_ His mind kept asking.

"Don't worry about your friends, they'll be dying as well after I finish with you." Naraku said. "Kagome will enjoy killing them very much."

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and then glared at Naraku. "Why are you doing this to her? She's just a weak human!" Inuyasha barked.

"Weak?" Naraku said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think she's _that_ weak. Look at her now." Naraku moved his eyes sideways to glance at Kagome. "She's a very useful servant."

"What exactly did you do to her this time?!" Inuyasha demanded, getting every information he could to bring Kagome back to normal before getting into the fight with Naraku.

"Would you prefer knowing the truth before dying?" Naraku asked, looking impertinently at Inuyasha. "Where shall I start then?" Naraku paused for a moment, looking at Kagome. After a few tensing seconds, he returned his eyes on Inuyasha. "Isn't she a darling? Very strong. Actually, I even thought of making her a _youkai_ but then she'll be too dangerous to handle so why risk it? I can control her better if she's just a mere human. But of course, I lent her some of my powers so she can play more tricks when the two of you meet. She learns very quickly, you know. She really wanted to see you again so I made her do some tricks so you would notice her. Imagine, she killed almost the whole village just so you'd notice her! Wasn't it effective? Her identity was well hidden because of _her_ powers; the ice covered her scent that's why you couldn't sense her very well. She's the one who chose her powers and in my opinion, she chose well. Don't you agree?" Naraku's smirk widened as he saw the mixed emotions in Inuyasha's eyes—anger, pain and sadness—all at the same time. "She's very good in killing; you should have seen her when she started attacking this village. Controlling her was easier this time; I didn't even need to change her memory. Just needed three shards for her." He continued, enjoying the look on Inuyasha's face more and more.

Inuyasha looked sideways to gaze at the girl sitting calmly and looking back at him with cold eyes. _"She's really Kagome…? How come Naraku could easily control her? The Kagome I know will never be defeated easily… What happened?" _Inuyasha thought, looking sadly at Kagome.

Kagome looked back at him, looking confused with the sadness in Inuyasha's eyes. _"What the hell is wrong with him?" _She thought.

"I guess I'm done with my story," said Naraku. "Let's get on with the fight."

Swirls of _youki_ began to surround Naraku.

-

Inuyasha tried to concentrate with his battle but no matter how he tried, he just couldn't use his full strength—not without the person he wanted to protect.

Kagome. She was just sitting there peacefully, not showing any concern who would win the fight and who would die.

Inuyasha couldn't even swing Tetsusaiga properly after being hit by Naraku's miasma on his right arm. His body was completely assaulted, filled with wounds and cuts. He just remained on his position with Tetsusaiga in front of him, anticipating Naraku's last attack that could probably leave him dead.

"Time to finish you off," Naraku said, rushing towards Inuyasha to give him his death.

"Wait!"

Naraku stopped in his tracks. He looked at Kagome, who was standing in front of Inuyasha to shield him from Naraku. "Get out of my way." He ordered.

"No." Kagome insisted.

"Get out of there or I'll kill both of you." Naraku repeated impatiently.

"Didn't you hear me? I said '_no_'." Kagome said, glaring at Naraku.

Inuyasha's heart began beating faster. _"Am I just imagining this or is Kagome really saving me? Maybe she has escaped Naraku's spell somehow…" _Inuyasha thought, looking at Kagome. _"But what if Naraku decides to kill her?" _The thought of Kagome getting killed really scared Inuyasha. _"I must protect her."_

Naraku smirked at Kagome. "I nearly forgot our deal." He said. "Just like I promised, I won't kill him. I guess I, too, was carried away with my feelings." He looked at Inuyasha and said, "You're lucky, you wouldn't die in my hands."

Kagome continued to look at Naraku, glaring a little. "It's a good thing you haven't forgotten our deal completely." She told Naraku. "You could do whatever you want with him but you must _never _kill him."

Naraku nodded. "I know."

Kagome positioned her baton in front of her and it began to glow that white shade again. After a second, it was no longer a rod but a thin icicle sword.

Naraku looked at Inuyasha with an evil smile in his lips. "You guessed wrong, Inuyasha. She hasn't saved you from death." Naraku said.

_"What?" _Inuyasha's mind asked, baffled with Naraku's words.

"What I mean is…" Naraku paused and looked at Kagome. "Kagome wants to kill you _herself_."

Kagome faced Inuyasha and smirked at him. "Ready to die?" She asked.

Shocked and deeply hurt, Inuyasha wished to be dead at that moment. _"Maybe it's not that bad to die… at least it's Kagome I'll be seeing last before I die…" _He felt himself being pinned on the ground by Kagome, her sword just an inch away from his chest. Inuyasha could clearly see Kagome's brown eyes connected with his eyes.

In a brief second, he saw something glint in her eyes. Was it just his imagination? Like for a second, he saw the old Kagome in those eyes—pleading to Inuyasha to help her.

"Now, die!" Kagome said, lifting the sword to pierce in his chest.

Before the sword could even touch Inuyasha's clothes, a sudden voice ringed inside Inuyasha's head.

_**Inuyasha! Please don't die!** _The voice said. **_Who would save me if you die?! Don't let her defeat you! _**

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. _"Kagome!" _Inuyasha's mind shouted. There could be no mistake about it. It was Kagome's voice. Inuyasha quickly held back the blade that was about to kill him. He looked into Kagome's eyes, trying to search for any sign of the old Kagome. He wasn't imagining it! It was really Kagome!

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A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Another chapter finished! Yup, I know… It's another _annoying _cliffhanger…. Don't you just hate me when I do that??? Hehehehe… Hope you'll still review though… Cause if I wouldn't get more reviews… I wouldn't post!!!!! GWAHAHAHA!!! Sorry about that! I'm just so happy that I finally got to spend my weekend without any homework to worry about!!! You MUST review! I'll be back soon! Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this great story! I love the suspense…. OO Don't you just love it? What will happen next??? Want to send some suggestions? I could use some help…

By the way, see the sentence that was italicized and bold? That's the true Kagome speaking okay? Because the evil one is the one killing Inuyasha but of course Kagome's got to save Inuyasha, right? Is it confusing? I hope it isn't. For errors in this chapter, please mail them to me so I may correct them or insert it in your reviews! The longer the reviews the better! Well, I'm going now cause I need to buy stuffs for school tomorrow. I'm off! REVIEW PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. Finally, It's Over

A/N: Wow! I received a tremendous outcome from my reviewers!!! I'm very glad with your reviews!!! jumps around the room happily I wouldn't be thanking my reviewers individually for now because I don't have much time. But still, I want to thank all of those wonderful people who reviewed and even bigger thanks to those who placed my story and me in the list of their favorite stories/author. I always get excited when I know that people really liked my story so much! -

By the way, remember when I asked you for an idea on how I will continue the story? Actually I already have the next chapter on my mind but still I would like to know what readers think… And guess what! Someone got so close to my idea but still my idea has a greater twist that will make the story more exciting! Hope you'll like it. After you read this chapter, I'm sure the one who suggested the idea close to mine will already know that I'm talking about _her_. Hint hint hint! -

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Disclaimer: I never liked writing this part but I can't skip this part either. Oh well, better say it already so I can go on with the chapter. Don't sue me. Why? 'Cause I know that I don't own Inuyasha and I'm not claiming it! Just borrowed them from Ms. Takahashi to have this story.

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Chapter 9

**_F_****_inal_**_**ly, It's Over**_

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Kagome's face grew stern as she tried to pierce her sword harder to Inuyasha's chest.

"I said die!" Kagome shouted, her eyes burning with anger.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out. "Snap out of it!"

"Fool!" Naraku said, smirking. "She's under my control. She won't hear you."

Inuyasha ignored Naraku and looked straight into Kagome's eyes. _"Kagome, please. Please wake up!" _

_**Inuyasha! I can't control my body.** _Inuyasha heard Kagome say in his mind. _**You've got to fight or I might… I might…** _Her voice was now quivering. Fear could be traced in her voice.

"You won't be killing me, Kagome." Inuyasha assured Kagome, holding the sword's blade tighter in his hands. Blood started to ooze from his hands as he held the blade. "I'll save you!" Inuyasha said, snatching the sword from her hands and throwing it aside. Upon being pierced on the ground, the icicle sword turned back into a silver baton.

Kagome quickly jumped away from Inuyasha, slightly growling. "Bastard!" She hissed.

Inuyasha slowly sat up; his breathing was heavy because of the rough beating he had received. "Kagome, I promise you. I will save you!" He said, standing up and walking slowly towards Kagome, clasping his wounded right arm. "Believe in me." He added, dragging his feet to walk further towards Kagome.

Kagome stepped back, slightly growling. "Don't come near me!" She ordered threateningly to Inuyasha. She glanced sideways to search for her baton. It was too far for her to reach. She was cornered and she was weaponless.

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear Kagome's words. He continued to approach Kagome.

Kagome seemed to be rooted to the ground. Her body didn't want to move anymore no matter how hard she tried to command it to move.

Soon, Inuyasha was standing face to face with Kagome. His eyes were looking at hers with complete determination. "I know you want to return to your old self, Kagome." Inuyasha said, pulling Kagome towards him all of a sudden. "Please come back to me." He said pleadingly, hugging her tighter.

"_Inu… yasha…_" Kagome whispered softly to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't imagining it. He heard Kagome's voice not in his mind. Did she finally return to normal?

Inuyasha gently broke the hug to look at Kagome. "Kagome?" Inuyasha asked uncertainly, looking at her eyes with joy and uncertainty. "Is that you?" He asked.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, looking back at Inuyasha. She stepped back from Inuyasha, looking sorry at him. "I'm sorry…"

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, trying to approach her.

"Don't come near me…" Kagome said, tears welling in her eyes. "I might hurt you again if you come near me." She explained, taking another step backwards.

"Stupid wench!" Inuyasha muttered. "I don't give a damn about that! What do you want me to do? Just leave you like that?!" Inuyasha grumbled. "Didn't you just hear me a while ago?! I told you I'd save you!"

_"Inuyasha…" _Kagome looked at him, looking greatly moved by his words.

"If you really want to save me…" Kagome paused and turned her back at Inuyasha, walking towards her baton. She drew it from the ground and grasped it tightly.

Inuyasha walked towards Kagome, puzzled by her sudden silence. "Kagome…?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha, looking straight into his golden eyes. "If you really want to save me, then—" She quickly changed her baton back to a crystal ice sword and stabbed it into Inuyasha's stomach. "Die!" Kagome cried, hatred filled her eyes so much.

_**Inuyasha!!!!**_ Kagome's worried cry rang inside Inuyasha's head.

"Kagome?!" Inuyasha said, wincing in pain as blood started to seep out of his wound. He quickly placed his left hand on his stomach to stop the blood from trickling. _"Shit! Naraku's still controlling Kagome!" _Inuyasha thought.

-

"Annoying girl." Naraku said. "Always messing up with my plans." He glared at Kagome's direction.

-

Kagome smirked as she watched Inuyasha's pained face. "Does it hurt, Inuyasha?" She asked disdainfully, returning her weapon to its baton form.

Inuyasha winced again as he felt his strength slowly leaving his body. "Damn it," cursed Inuyasha. "My body's lost so much blood."

Kagome began to laugh at Inuyasha's pathetic state. "That's what you get for wanting to save me!" She said, smirking at Inuyasha.

"Fool!" Inuyasha said, forcing his body to stay standing. "Who said that I wanted to save you?" He asked. "I said I would save Kagome. Not YOU!!!" Inuyasha shouted, looking at Kagome with angry eyes.

Kagome laughed again. "What are you talking about Inuyasha?" She asked, pointing her baton at Inuyasha. "_I_ am Kagome. Can't you see that?"

Inuyasha's youki began to strengthen. He clenched his fists tightly; his eyes began to darken even more in anger. "Don't you dare compare yourself with Kagome." Inuyasha growled. "Even though you may be using her body, you will never be like her—in any aspect!"

"Just the same." Kagome shrugged. "While I'm using her body, I am her—whether you like it or not." Kagome's heart suddenly stopped beating. She looked troubled about something. _"What's this?! The crystal is cracking?!" _Kagome thought, looking down at the round purple pendant of her necklace.

-

"Why can't she stop being a nuisance to me?" Naraku murmured under his breath.

_-_

_"What's happening to her?" _Inuyasha thought curiously, looking at her. _"She seemed to be worried about something." _He looked at Kagome worriedly. _"Kagome, how can I save you? How?" _Inuyasha continued to think of a way to help Kagome.

_**Inuyasha!** _Inuyasha suddenly heard Kagome's voice inside his head again.

_"Kagome!" _Inuyasha's mind cried in relief. Hearing her voice seemed to give his troubled mind some peace. _"You're all right…"_ Inuyasha thought, his heart relaxing a little.

Kagome began to walk towards Inuyasha slowly.

"Inuyasha…" She softly murmured, tears began to flow from her brown eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking at the wound she caused on his stomach.

Inuyasha smiled softly and placed his hand on Kagome's cheek to wipe off her tears. "Will you stop crying? This scratches are nothing." He told Kagome. His blood was smeared on Kagome's pale cheek.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha's eyes guiltily.

"It's all right, Kagome." Inuyasha said. "It's over."

Kagome stepped back away from Inuyasha again. "No, Inuyasha, it's not." She said fearfully. "She's still inside my body."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked, looking perplexed.

"She's just lost consciousness; I don't know when she's going to take over me again." Her face was filled with fear. "You've got to listen to me carefully." She told Inuyasha. She held her baton in front of Inuyasha and looked at him. "Destroy the crystal, Inuyasha. If you'll destroy it, at least, she wouldn't be that strong anymore if she'd take over me again. You can destroy _her_ easily by then."

"I won't destroy her while she's inside your body." Inuyasha protested, slashing the stone easily with his claws.

After the glass ball had been broken, tiny ice shards were scattered on the ground. Kagome's jewels and other accessories that were made out of ice were also shattered into pieces—all of her accessories except for the necklace around her neck.

Kagome glanced at Naraku's direction to see his reaction. Far from Kagome's expected look, Naraku didn't look a bit close to looking annoyed. Instead, he looked like he was waiting for her to continue her actions. _"Weird. He's not making any move to stop me?" _Kagome thought, slightly getting worried about her plan. Her mind suddenly remembered what Naraku told her about destroying the necklace.

**Naraku smirked. "You can't destroy that. I told you it suppresses your power." Naraku said, still looking relaxed. "And if you destroy it, I'm sure you'll regret it. It's better to have that necklace than to destroy it." He added, looking nastily at Kagome. **

_"I still can't understand what he means by that." _Kagome thought. _"Maybe it's better if I wouldn't destroy the necklace anymore—but…" _Kagome looked at Inuyasha's worried face. _"Inuyasha…" _

"Anything wrong?" Inuyasha said, looking worriedly at her.

Kagome shook her head and gave out a small smile to assure Inuyasha. "Nothing." She said. _"But then Inuyasha will get hurt again if I don't stop her." _Kagome thought sadly as she remembered the pained expression on Inuyasha's face when she had pierced him with her sword. _"No, I wouldn't want Inuyasha to suffer anymore…" _

"Inuyasha, slash the necklace on my neck." Kagome said determinedly.

Inuyasha nodded then slashed it—but the necklace didn't break. It only glowed its usual purple light.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow. "No effect." He told Kagome.

_"It's too strong…" _Kagome thought, biting her lower lip. She looked around and her eyes saw Tetsusaiga pierced on the ground nearby. _"Perhaps…"_ She looked at Inuyasha and said, "Inuyasha, use the Tetsusaiga on the necklace."

"What?!" Inuyasha said, looking at her with a horrified expression on his face.

"I said slash—"

"I heard you but—are you serious?!" Inuyasha said, his voice told Kagome he was against the idea. "What if I suddenly lose control of Tetsusaiga and I slashed your neck together with that damn necklace?!"

"Then, I guess, that will be the end for me." Kagome said, shrugging.

"What's with you?" Inuyasha said, pouting his lips. "Aren't you even scared, I might kill you?!"

"You weren't scared when _I_ was about to kill you!" Kagome pointed out.

"Because I know that you wouldn't do that if you weren't controlled by that bastard!" Inuyasha replied, throwing a quick glare at Naraku then rested his eyes back at Kagome's face.

"Inuyasha, we don't have time to argue." Kagome reminded him. "Just believe in yourself and think that if you slash my neck you won't have any shard detector anymore. I'm sure you wouldn't want to lose your shard detector, right?"

Inuyasha's face suddenly changed its expression—like he wanted to tell Kagome something.

"So?" Kagome said.

"I'll do it." Inuyasha finally answered. He summoned Tetsusaiga through its scabbard and transformed it. He positioned his sword a little away from Kagome's neck and swallowed.

"Good." Kagome said, smiling at Inuyasha. She closed her eyes and said, "Just relax and do it."

_"Kagome…" _Inuyasha's mind was really against doing it but then he knew that Kagome would be suffering more if he wouldn't do it.

Inuyasha focused his eyes on the necklace around Kagome's neck. His heart was beating faster and faster.

Kagome took a peek at Inuyasha. He looked really nervous. "Don't worry, I know you can do it. I trust you." She said, closing her eyes once more.

-

"I wouldn't do it if I were you, Inuyasha." Naraku said, still doing nothing but watching them from a short distance.

-

"Shut up!" Inuyasha said.

_Slash!_ The necklace broke and fell to the ground. Kagome looked at her neck and smiled in relief when she saw that she was still in one piece. Actually, she was a bit scared too. The round pendant was already broken, revealing three Shikon shards.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, relief flooding his heart. "I did it." He said, sighing in relief.

"Yeah," agreed Kagome, nodding. She bent down to pick up the shards on the ground. "Finally, it's over."

"Kagome!" Shippou happily jumped to Kagome's arms and hugged her. "You're back!"

"Shippou-chan!" Kagome cried happily. "I'm glad to see you!"

"Kagome-sama, welcome back." Miroku said, smiling.

"Thank you," said Kagome. She looked around to look for Naraku but he was nowhere in sight. _"What does he mean when he said it's better if I wore the necklace than take it off?" _Kagome thought. _"Probably a prank just to scare me…" _

"Kagome-chan, what's the matter?" Sango asked, looking at her worriedly.

"Nothing," replied Kagome, smiling at Sango. Her eyes suddenly shifted to the girl beside Sango that was glaring at her.

"Don't act so innocently, _murderer_!" Hikari said, still glaring at Kagome.

"Hey! Don't call Kagome a murderer!" Inuyasha said, throwing a glare at Hikari.

"You shouldn't be saying that to her, Hikari." Sango said. "She's not herself at that time."

"It's just the same. It was my body who did those crimes…" Kagome said, bowing her head. "Forgive me."

"Forgiveness?" Hikari said, tears brimming in her eyes. "Do you think you deserve that after killing so many helpless people?!"

Kagome looked at Hikari, her eyes looked pained. "I didn't kill them." She said.

"Liar." Hikari said, glaring more and more.

"I'm telling the truth." Kagome said, looking at the tiny ice shards on the ground.

The shards began to grow larger and larger.

"Move away!" Kagome said, pulling Hikari to run with her.

The ice shards only stopped growing when they were as big as humans.

Hikari snatched her hand away from Kagome's hand. "Don't touch me!" She shouted.

Kagome looked at her and told her, "Look at those ice blocks closely."

Hikari looked at them closely. The others did the same.

Theirs eyes suddenly widened at what they saw. There were villagers trapped inside the blocks of ice!

Hikari ran towards one of the ice blocks and began to cry again. "Father…" She said.

"Don't worry," Kagome said. "They're alive. The ice will be melting soon and you can already get your father back." She told Hikari. "And the rest of your fellow villagers..."

"But I saw the _Ice Lady _kill our fellow villagers." Hikari said.

Kagome shook her head side to side. "I made the _Ice Lady_ think that she was killing them but actually, she never killed anyone. She never noticed that I had my consciousness from time to time so I made sure she didn't kill them and made her trap them on ice shards to heal their wounds. They might still be weak for now but I'm sure they're all alive." Kagome explained to Hikari.

Hikari only looked at Kagome but didn't say anything.

Kagome knelt down in front of Hikari. "I know I still hurt them so please forgive me. I'll do anything just for you to forgive me." Kagome bowed her head as hot tears began to fall down from her eyes. "I'm really sorry…"

_"Kagome…"_ Inuyasha looked at Kagome with sorrowful eyes. _"You have to suffer just because of that bastard… Naraku… I'll surely kill him one of these days…"_

"Kagome,"

Kagome looked up to face Hikari; Hikari's hand was resting on Kagome's shoulder.

"Don't be sorry for the crime you haven't done." Hikari said. "I know you were just being controlled back then. Please forgive me for saying bad things about you. Let's just forget it and maybe—we can be friends?" Hikari extended her hand to her and smiled.

Kagome brushed her tears away and took Hikari's hand. "I'd like that very much. Thank you." She said, also smiling as she stood up.

Inuyasha felt glad that everything was turning out fine. Kagome was finally back.

"Kagome! The ice has finally melted!" Shippou said cheerfully.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Can you help us carry the villagers to some comfortable place where they can rest?" She asked, wearing her usual warm smile.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grumbled. "You can't do anything on your own, could you?"

Kagome smiled faintly at Inuyasha. "I guess s—" Kagome suddenly felt dizzy that she began to collapse absentmindedly to the ground.

Fortunately, Inuyasha was there to catch her just in time. Inuyasha looked worriedly at Kagome in his arms. "Hey! Kagome! Kagome!" He said, trying to wake her up.

Hikari and the others quickly hurried to Kagome's side to check on her.

"Is she all right?" Hikari asked.

Inuyasha held Kagome's cheek lightly. "Wake up, Kagome!" He said.

Kagome's eyes slowly opened and looked at Inuyasha weakly. "Inuyasha?" She said, seeing the worried look on Inuyasha's face. "I feel so weak... I think I need to rest for a while…" She said then smiled a little before closing her eyes again.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha murmured worriedly.

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A/N: That's it! Another cliffie!!! Hehehe… You should review okay? Even just to tell me that you hate the cliffie. Hey, to those who will review… Please make it longer so I'll enjoy reading it more! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!! You must do that for me! I updated so you better review! Another chapter down. Please include in your review the answer to this question… I already have an idea of the next chapter but still I don't know where it will happen. Should Inuyasha's gang stay in that village and face those villagers who are angry at Kagome? Or should they return to Kaede-baachan's place for a comfortable rest for Kagome? It's also more romantic there… What do you think???? Review please!


	10. Serious Talk Leads to SIT!

A/N: Sorry!!!!!!!! Really, I'm very sorry for not updating for ages! Again, same reasons are to be given. School, school and school. We have just finished our examination week. It was really tiring. But still, I'm very happy to see a lot of reviews from my previous chapter. I'm really sorry I had to end it with a cliffie. That's what makes the readers review and ask for more. Don't you think? Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed! I really got lots of idea from them and I got to know what the readers don't understand much in my story so I can explain them further.

I can see through the reviews that many of you are curious if there was really something about that necklace… You think I just placed it there to make Kagome prettier? Wrong! Of course, the necklace adds twist to the story! And you wouldn't understand it much yet because the explanation is in chapter 11. You better read that chapter carefully… ' But before you read it, I still need to post it. Hehehehe…

About Hikari's fast forgiveness, well, she's not yet really forgiving Kagome. Just said that to make the conversation short with Kagome. Time is needed to completely forgive someone…

About the question I left at the end of my chapter, I can't decide which place I'll choose. Both seems to be very good but as I begin to think about the characters' way of thinking… I'm sure they'll stay at the village even just for a while… Kagome's hurt so they shouldn't be traveling.

Many of you hated the cliffie. Sorry I had to end it there… I guess I should lessen doing them… Or you might eat me already. Scary… But still, I'm glad that you liked the way the chapter was written—especially the crystal thingy. You really got curious, huh?

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine. But I own the plot! At least, the plot!

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Chapter 10

___**Serious Talk Leads to "S****IT****!" **_

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Inuyasha was sitting at one corner of the hut with his arms crossed on his chest, looking worriedly at Kagome's resting figure while Hikari placed a blanket over her body.

_"She's endured too much pressure these past few days. I hope she'll be fine when she wakes up," _thought Inuyasha. _"So many things have happened…"_

Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts upon the arrival of the others.

"We have finished returning the villagers in their homes so they could rest." Miroku said as he entered the hut. He looked at Kagome and then at Inuyasha. "How's Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha shook his head slowly. "She still hasn't opened her eyes," replied Inuyasha.

"Is that so?" Miroku said, looking down. "We can't do anything but wait…" He said, settling on the floor near Kagome's resting place.

"I'm sure she'll be waking up tomorrow morning. She just needs some rest." Hikari assured them as she stood up. "I'll just go check on my father on the other hut. I'll be back later to bring you some dinner and some blankets." She said and left.

"Inuyasha," said Miroku, looking at Inuyasha seriously. "don't you think it's strange that Naraku just left after finding that the necklace that was controlling Kagome-sama has been broken?"

Inuyasha looked back at him seriously and replied, "Yeah, I noticed that too."

"Don't you think this is all part of his plan?" Sango said, looking at Kagome with troubled eyes.

"You mean Kagome is still in danger?" Shippou asked, looking at them.

"If this is still part of Naraku's plan, we'll have to do our best to protect Kagome-sama." Miroku said, his eyes looking at Inuyasha for any comment.

Inuyasha didn't say anything but gave a small nod. _"This time, I'll protect her seriously." _Inuyasha vowed in his mind. _"That bastard has made Kagome suffer more than enough. I'll never let him near Kagome ever again." _

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"Have you finished your dinner?" Hikari asked as she entered the room with folded blankets on her arms.

"Yes," Sango answered. "Thank you for the wonderful meal." She told Hikari, flashing a grateful smile.

Hikari smiled back. "You should be tired. Here's some blankets for you." She said as she handed them to Sango. She stood up and went to collect the bowls and left over food on the low table. "If you need anything else, just call me on the other hut." She told them and left shortly.

Miroku and Sango began fixing their beds on the far side of the hut. Shippou curled beside Kirara on Sango's side since Kagome needed to be alone so she could rest completely. Inuyasha didn't lie down to sleep, instead, he just stayed on his position near the door so he had a clear view of the whole room and he could guard the entrance as well.

The night grew deeper but Inuyasha didn't dare close his eyes. He just sat there with his arms folded, his Tetsusaiga resting on the floor beside him.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed under his breath. "This thought is going to make me crazy!" He hissed, trying to shake the thought out of his head. He suddenly paused and looked at Kagome. _"I can't help myself from worrying. The thought of Kagome being used by Naraku just to get to me is making my heart crumble. What is Naraku up to this time?!"_ Inuyasha pondered, his eyes continued to stare at Kagome with worry.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned his head to find Hikari standing next to him, looking curiously at him. "What do you want?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Hikari sideways.

"I-I just brought some rice and fish for Kagome when she wakes up." Hikari explained as she walked over to the table to place the food. "She hasn't eaten anything yet. I bet she'll be hungry when she wakes up."

Inuyasha didn't say anything. He returned his gaze to Kagome and watched her silently.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Hikari asked curiously, trying to start a conversation.

"I don't need too much sleep like humans." Inuyasha answered but didn't take his look away from Kagome.

"But you should still sleep even just for a while, right?" Hikari said.

No answer again.

"You don't need to worry too much about her." Hikari said, seeing Inuyasha's eyes fixed on Kagome.

"Everyone else is asleep," said Inuyasha, changing the subject. "You should do the same."

Knowing that the conversation wouldn't last any longer, Hikari walked towards the door and said, "I'll go to sleep already. Kagome will be fine, don't worry." And she was gone.

Inuyasha looked at the door for a while then returned his gaze at Kagome. _"Don't worry? That's impossible." _Inuyasha said in his mind. _"As long as I'm not sure that Kagome's safe, I will worry."_

Inuyasha didn't know what had come over him but he suddenly stood up and walked closer to Kagome's resting place. He settled beside her and sighed. He sat there contentedly as he watched Kagome's peaceful face. _"Her face is so calm. It's like she hasn't suffered any pain—but deep in her heart, she's been very sad and pained. Her face is more beautiful now that she doesn't have that cold expression painted on her face—now that she doesn't have the same icy expression on Kikyou's face. I like her like this better—the Kagome I know." _Inuyasha's mind remembered the way Kagome's face looked as she pierced the sword in his chest.

**"I said die!" Kagome shouted, her eyes burning with anger. **

_"Her eyes back then lost their warmth. Very much like Kikyou's eyes when she shot that arrow to seal me. I was scared to see her like that. Very scared…I thought I'd lose Kagome—like the way I lost Kikyou…"_ Inuyasha thought. _"I can't bear that anymore." _

"Hm?" Inuyasha suddenly noticed something glowing in Kagome's clenched fist. He took her hand carefully and opened it. "Shikon shards?" He said. Inuyasha took them from her hand and examined them carefully.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha slowly looked at Kagome and found that she was staring back at him curiously.

"Ka-Kagome!" Inuyasha said in surprise. "You're awake?!"

"Eh?" Kagome said, sitting up. "What are you talking about? Of course, I'm awake! I just took a nap so why wouldn't I wake—" Kagome suddenly paused and looked at Inuyasha's hand holding her hand, slightly blushing. "Um..." Kagome's hand felt like it was going to melt any second now.

Inuyasha immediately dropped her hand, blushing furiously. "I was just getting the Shikon shards from your hand!" He immediately reasoned out, still flushing.

"Okay," said Kagome. "You don't need to explain. I understand." She said.

"Here," Inuyasha said, handing the shards to Kagome.

"You keep them for me for a while," said Kagome, looking around for something.

"What?" Inuyasha said, looking suspiciously at her. "Why are you suddenly letting me keep the shards?"

"I didn't say you could keep them forever. I said 'for a while'." Kagome replied, still turning her head to look for something.

"What are you looking for?" Inuyasha asked, getting irritated that Kagome didn't care much about the shards anymore.

"I'm looking for my bag. I'm a little hungry," answered Kagome.

"There's some food in the table." Inuyasha said, looking at the table.

"Really?" Kagome said, brightening up. "That's great!" She said, trying to stand up.

"Hey!" Inuyasha said, preventing her from standing up. "What do you think are you doing?!"

"Huh?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha with a confused expression on her face. "I'm going to stand up to get the food."

"Idiot!" Inuyasha scolded her. "Can't you see you're still weak and you want to move around already?!" Inuyasha stood up and walked towards the table to get the plate of food.

"Thank you," murmured Kagome, not daring to look into Inuyasha's eyes as she felt herself blushing.

"I won't be doing this often so better make the best out of it." Inuyasha said, sitting down to face Kagome.

"You wouldn't need to do it often." Kagome pointed out, extending her hands to get the plate from Inuyasha.

"What do you think are you doing?" Inuyasha asked Kagome, moving the plate away from her.

"I'm trying to eat!" Kagome said, trying to reach the plate.

"Aren't you just annoying?!" Inuyasha said, getting infuriated with Kagome. "Haven't I made myself clear to you yet? I told you that you shouldn't be moving much!"

"But I'm already hungry!" Kagome argued, pouting her lips.

"Idiot!" Inuyasha yelled at Kagome. "That's why I'm here, right? I'll feed you!"

Kagome's eyes widened in shock after hearing Inuyasha's words. _"Inuyasha's… being nice to…me?" _She thought as she looked at Inuyasha with perplexed eyes.

"What's with that face?!" Inuyasha said, getting totally irritated. "If you don't like it, then just say it. Don't look at me like that!" Inuyasha said, getting frustrated under Kagome's stare.

"It's not that I don't like you to…" Kagome said, smiling at Inuyasha. "It's just that… I was surprised that you're being nice to me."

Inuyasha blushed again. "Just open your mouth so we can finish fast." He told Kagome, taking the chopsticks and giving Kagome a bit of the fish.

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha then opened her mouth obediently like a little girl would. _"Thank you, Inuyasha…" _

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"It tastes really good!" Kagome exclaimed, looking at Inuyasha.

"Hikari gave the food." Inuyasha told Kagome, placing the empty plate on the floor. "You need anything else?" He asked.

"Can we go outside for some fresh air?" said Kagome, smiling softly.

Inuyasha was about to object because he was worried about Kagome's condition but Kagome's eyes pleaded in him to say 'yes'.

"Please," Kagome said with imploring eyes. "Just for a while."

"But Kagome, you're not yet—"

"If you wouldn't let me go outside, I wouldn't sleep either." Kagome said threateningly.

"Are you threatening me?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Kagome with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe." Kagome said, a sly smile on her lips.

Inuyasha sighed in surrender. "Fine! We'll go outside but in one condition—we're not going away from the village." Inuyasha said. "If you wouldn't accept my terms, forget it!"

"I accept it." Kagome said, smiling at Inuyasha.

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Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting down on the grass under a tall tree, staring at the star-filled sky.

"Wow! It's so great to watch the sky, don't you think?" Kagome said, taking a deep breath of the fresh air around her.

"I guess so." Inuyasha said as he leaned on the trunk of the tree just behind them and looked at the stars too.

"By the way," Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha's direction. "thank you for serving me, Inuyasha."

"I told you I wouldn't do that often so stop making a big fuss about it." Inuyasha said; his voice sounded irritated. He still continued to stare at the stars even though he was talking to Kagome.

"I still want to thank you for everything, Inuyasha." Kagome said, smiling thankfully.

"For everything?" Inuyasha repeated, now looking at Kagome inquisitively.

"You saved me and you still treat me nicely even though I tried to kill you." Kagome said, looking down at her lap. She couldn't look at Inuyasha straight in the eyes after what she had done to him. "Sorry, Inuyasha…" She started to cry silently.

Inuyasha placed his hand on Kagome's chin and made her look into his eyes. "Will you stop saying sorry?!" Inuyasha said, looking at Kagome with pained eyes. "As long as you didn't mean it, you shouldn't be sorry. As long as you come back to me, you shouldn't be sorry. As long as I know you'll stay with me, you shouldn't be sorry." Inuyasha lifted his hand on Kagome's cheek to brush her tears away. "You always cry about silly things." He told her. "If you'll continue doing that, it will make me feel very bad."

Kagome wiped her tears away and flashed a small smile at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha," Kagome started. "sor—"

Inuyasha placed a finger on Kagome's lips to silence her. "I told you not to say sorry anymore." He said.

"But that's all I can say." Kagome bickered, looking at Inuyasha's golden orbs. "I know I've hurt you so much and I feel terrible about it. I saw the sorrow in your eyes as I was killing you! I know that's how you felt the time when Kikyou shot an arrow to seal you!"

"I told you it's okay." Inuyasha said to Kagome, praying very hard that she wouldn't burst into tears again. He really hated it when she did that.

"I've hurt you!" Kagome pointed out. "How could that be okay?!"

"You stupid girl!" Inuyasha pulled Kagome to him to hug her tightly. "Do you think I don't know that you've also been suffering much lately?! I know the pain you suffered when you saw yourself trying to kill me although you never wanted to kill me! The way you wanted to stop yourself so you wouldn't have to hurt me. I know that pain Kagome! If you could have stopped yourself, you would! That's why it's okay. Because it's not you who did it!" Inuyasha hugged her tighter. "As long as it wasn't you, it's all right. I can endure the pain."

"But I can't bear to see you in pain, Inuyasha." Kagome said, her heart beating faster and louder. She was even sure that Inuyasha could also hear her heartbeat.

"Neither can I, Kagome." Inuyasha said, closing his eyes. "If it weren't for me, Naraku would never have used you. You wouldn't be called a murderer. I'm sorry for that."

"You don't need to be sorry about that." Kagome said. "It's my decision to stay with you. It's part of the consequences I have to face."

"It's still my fault because I wasn't there to protect you when Naraku snatched you." Inuyasha said, breaking the hug to look into Kagome's eyes. "It must have hurt real bad to wait for me for so long…"

Kagome's eyes stayed fixed with Inuyasha's eyes. _"Inuyasha's apology tonight is surely one I should remember. This never happens often." _Kagome thought, almost getting lost in Inuyasha's deep golden eyes. But then, she remembered the reason why Inuyasha wasn't there to protect her—he was with Kikyou. She shifted her eyes and looked away from Inuyasha. "It's okay even if I have to wait for ages, as long as you will come for me, I'll wait." Kagome said; her eyes streaked with sadness.

Inuyasha noticed the sudden sadness in Kagome's eyes and realized the reason for Kagome's sadness. _"You've seen me with Kikyou again." _Inuyasha's mind said, remembering what Naraku had told him before. _"Why do I always keep on hurting Kagome…?" _

"Let's go back." Kagome said, standing up and walking away.

Inuyasha immediately stood up and followed Kagome. Soon enough, he caught up with Kagome and he was now walking beside her. "Kagome, you've seen me with Kikyou, right? Tell me."

Kagome stopped in her tracks.

Inuyasha quickly stopped too and looked at Kagome in alarm. _"Wrong move! Now she's surely going to sit me!" _Inuyasha thought, his ears twitching as they waited for the terrible punishment.

"Yes." Kagome said softly.

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, looking amused at her. _"No sit?"_ Inuyasha thought.

"Yes means I've seen you! You idiot!" Kagome said, walking fast again.

"You mean you've heard us?" Inuyasha said, following Kagome.

Kagome clenched her fists and looked at Inuyasha. "If you're wondering if I know that you chose Kikyou, yes, I already know that!" Kagome yelled.

"Kagome! Wait!" Inuyasha said.

"I'm going to sleep already." Kagome said, walking towards the door of the hut.

"I _didn't_ choose Kikyou!" Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome froze in her position, making sure she had heard Inuyasha's words correctly. She clenched her fists harder and glared at Inuyasha. "You expect me to believe you?!" She shouted. "You hugged her!"

"If you wouldn't believe me, that's up to you." Inuyasha said. "But I'm telling you the truth! I didn't choose Kikyou!"

"I really don't believe you." Kagome said, walking again towards the door.

"Damn it, Kagome!" Inuyasha said, getting frustrated by Kagome's stubbornness. "I chose _you_!"

Kagome stopped again; her heartbeat was so fast that it might explode soon. _"Did I just hear Inuyasha say he chose…me?" _Kagome thought. _"Is this for real or am I just dreaming?" _

"Inuyasha, did you mean that?" Kagome said, not looking at Inuyasha. She just kept her back turned to him.

"Of course, I do! Kikyou's already dead so when she let me choose between the two of you I chose you because you can help me find the rest of the Shikon shards and—" Inuyasha closed his mouth immediately. _"What am I talking about?! I shouldn't be starting this again with Kagome! She's going to get really mad at me! Inuyasha, you're a jerk! And now, you're surely going to get it!" _Inuyasha scolded in his mind as he saw Kagome turn around to face him.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, her eyes were burning in fury.

"Ka-Kagome, this is a mistake… that wasn't what I wanted to say to you… I wanted to tell you that I guess I-I …" Words failed Inuyasha. He knew that it was coming and he couldn't do anything to stop her from saying _it_.

"SIT! SIT! SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!" Kagome shouted at the top of her lungs, then turned her back and entered the hut.

"Shit!" Inuyasha said as he pushed himself up from the dirt. "You wench! I was going to tell you that I guess I _love _you!" Inuyasha said the words so fast that he wasn't really aware of what was coming out of his mouth. Inuyasha's eyes suddenly widened at the words that escaped his mouth when he finally realized that he just said that he _loved_ her. _"What?! I love Kagome?!" _Inuyasha thought. His cheeks felt hot as he thought about it more and more. _"That can't be possible! I can't fall for her! The one I love is Kikyou! Kagome's just special to me but it_ _can't possibly be that I love her... can it?" _Inuyasha paused, trying to think about it for a second. "This is really fucking annoying!" Inuyasha cursed, leaping to a nearby tree to guard the hut as he sat there. _"The more I think about it, the more it makes me go crazy. Just forget it!"_ Inuyasha thought, closing his eyes for a while. "That wench! If I'll think about it any further, she's really going to blow my brains out!" He muttered to himself. _"I'm sure she's really mad at me now for telling her that I just chose her for the shards.... Keh! Let her be mad for all I care!" _Inuyasha opened his eyes to glance at the cottage Kagome was staying in. "But still I told Kagome the truth... _I chose her_. The only problem is... I don't know my reason..." Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes again to think.

Minutes passed by quickly but he still hadn't gotten the right answer. "Keh! Who cares about the reason! I don't like to think about it anymore!" He muttered to himself before completely letting himself fall asleep.

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After Kagome entered the hut, Miroku and Sango were wide-awake, looking at her.

"Kagome-chan…" Sango started.

"Please, don't ask about it anymore." Kagome said, resting on her bed and pulling the blanket up to her head to cover herself entirely. _"That jerk! He really doesn't know how to do anything right! Idiot!" _Kagome thought, cursing Inuyasha as she drifted away to slumber.

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A/N: Hehehehe! So it's not a cliffie anymore… I guess. For me, it's not a cliffie. Inuyasha's such a jerk! I hope he's not OOC here. I think he's just like that in the series… You know, expresses his feelings emotionally and then hugs Kagome tightly. But then, blows everything up when he's about to confess! A complete jerk! Hehehehe!

Please review, okay? I really want to know how you feel about this chapter. Actually, I just got this chapter last night to have an improvement on the two's relationship. I'll put the drama effect next chapter. Kagome's in trouble again! She's not going to be kidnapped. She's going to…. I can't say it yet! You just have to wait. Be patient. REVIEW OKAY? Thanks again!

By the way, is it proper for them to call Hikari 'Hikari'? I mean, don't they need to call her Hikari-san or Hikari-chan (although Hikari-chan is too much. They're not that close friends…) What do you think? Do you think Hikari's enough? Well, better end this already because I've still got to do my project. Thank you for your time reading and hope you enjoyed it! Review!


	11. Lost Memory

A/N: At last! I finally got the time to type another chapter! It was really devastating when my teachers gave us lots of homeworks. It's a good thing we have this cheering presentation at school so our load is lighter. Anyway, here's the chapter you've all been waiting to read… The mystery (sort of) of the necklace is now revealed. The reason why Naraku didn't do anything when the necklace was broken…

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Disclaimer: Why oh why do I need to put this?!?! Fine! I'll say it! INUYASHA ISN'T MINE! Happy?

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Chapter 11

**_Lost Memory_**

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Kagome snapped her eyes open and muttered under her breath, "I forgot to get the shards!"

Grouchily, she stood up to go out to Inuyasha. She suddenly noticed that she was still wearing the same blue _kimono_ she'd been wearing when she had attacked the village. _"I better change already," _thought Kagome as she went to her bag to get a new set of her usual green uniform. _"This kimono will only make things harder to forget."_ Making sure that Miroku was deeply asleep she began to change her clothes and afterwards, she went out of the hut to get the Shikon shards from Inuyasha.

She stood in front of the tree where Inuyasha slept and glared at the hanyou, who had been sleeping peacefully.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, not minding the tone of her voice. Apparently, she was still mad at him.

Inuyasha's ears twitched the moment he heard Kagome's furious voice.

_"I'm dead," _Inuyasha thought as he opened his eyes to look down into Kagome's angry gaze. "What do you want?" He asked with his usual manner of speaking—rough. He immediately noticed that she had returned to wearing her normal clothes. _"Good, she has changed." _Inuyasha's mind sighed in relief.

"Give me back the shards!" Kagome demanded, raising her hand to him to collect the shards.

Inuyasha jumped down from the branch he was currently perched and stood in front of Kagome. He looked at her with sharp eyes and said, "You're mad at me, right?"

Kagome's head began to boil again. _"Why does he still have to ask that?!?!?!" _Kagome thought, trying to control herself or she would be spitting fire at him any moment. "Want to eat dirt again?!" She snapped, giving him another glare—more terrible than the last one. She was really scary now. "Just give me the shards." She said, still holding her hand in front of him.

_"She is mad," _Inuyasha thought, backing away a little from her glare. It was like she could kill him just by glowering at him. He slowly took out the three Shikon shards inside his _haori _and placed them gently on her hand. "Fine!" He said, a little annoyed at the way things were going between him and Kagome. He nearly lost Kagome yet all he did to her when she had finally returned was make her mad. That was really annoying. A voice kept on whispering inside Inuyasha's head—probably his conscience. _"It's your damn fault just apologize to her!" _It said. _"No way!" _Inuyasha's mind answered back, trying to shut up the other voice inside his head.

"You could return to your sleep," said Kagome, as she turned around and walked back to the hut.

Inuyasha's heart and pride were currently having a debate—whether he should apologize or not. This time, his pride was defeated.

"Sorry," Inuyasha muttered in a low voice that was only a little louder than a whisper.

Kagome froze in her position, trying to figure out if she had heard him right. _"Did Inuyasha just apologize to me?" _She asked in her mind. She slowly turned around and looked at Inuyasha. "Huh?" She said to make sure she didn't just imagine it.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and clenched his fist, trying to control his rising temper. _"She really loves to see me stooping down before her." _Inuyasha thought to himself. _"But maybe I should give in to her this time—even just this time." _He thought. "I said I'm _sorry_." Inuyasha repeated, looking into Kagome's warm brown eyes.

Kagome's heart beat twice its normal rate; butterflies seemed to flutter inside her stomach. Inuyasha was_ actually apologizing _to her—and that was one of the things he didn't do so often. She could have jumped so high in joy but she tried to hide her emotions. "You really mean that?" She asked.

"If you don't want to accept it, then don't. I'm not forcing you to believe me." Inuyasha told her, looking away from her.

_"That means he really meant it…" _thought Kagome as a small smile curled on her lips. "I believe you." She told him softly. "And…" Kagome paused, looking down on the ground.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, waiting for her to continue.

Kagome lifted her head again and met Inuyasha's eyes. "Even if you chose me just because I'm your shard detector, I'm still glad you chose me over Kikyou in some aspects." She said, the small smile still on her lips. _"Even though I know you'll choose Kikyou if you will be asked to choose the one you love…" _Kagome thought sadly. _"Maybe I should just accept the truth that Inuyasha will never be able to love me like the way he loves Kikyou… I'll never be able to compete with Kikyou… Inuyasha is in love with her and will always be. I can't change that… But still I'll stay 'cause I want to see him… I want to be with him a little longer while I still can…while we are still searching for the shards." _She looked down at the shards on her hand and held them tightly.

Silence grew between them. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he should talk to Kagome. If ever he would talk, what would he say?

"I'll be going back inside. We could leave later when the sun rises. Maybe you should sleep some more." Kagome said, breaking the silence between them. She turned her back to Inuyasha to go back to the hut.

Before Kagome could make her first step, Inuyasha quickly held her by the arm and said, "Kagome, wait."

Kagome stopped in her tracks and waited.

"You're not my shard detector." Inuyasha told her. "I never intended to say those words on purpose."

"I know you're just saying that to make me feel better." Kagome said, her smile had long vanished from her lips.

"I'm saying this because I want to, okay?" Inuyasha said.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Kagome.

"I want you to stop thinking that you're just my shard detector." Inuyasha replied with certainty. He really wanted Kagome to do that.

"Why?" Kagome wanted to get an honest answer from Inuyasha.

"Because it's not true." He answered her truthfully, releasing her arm.

She turned around to face Inuyasha; her face told Inuyasha she wanted a truthful answer. "Then, what am I to you?" Kagome asked him softly. She didn't know why she still asked that question even though she already knew the answer would only cause her heart nothing but pain. But she still wanted to hear his answer—she would hear it sooner or later anyway so she decided to hear it _now_.

If Inuyasha didn't have sensitive ears, he wouldn't be able to hear her words clearly. But he did have sensitive ears, so he heard her every word perfectly. But he wasn't prepared to answer this question yet; confusion was still present and he was still unable to figure out his true feelings for Kagome.

"Forgive me if I asked you such a stupid question," said Kagome, trying to laugh. "I'm very silly." She added.

"You're not just a replacement for Kikyou." Inuyasha said with pure sincerity. That was the only thing he was certain about. Kagome was not a substitute for Kikyou; they both have different places in his heart. The question was: who had the better place in his heart? He loved Kikyou but he chose to be with Kagome forever. Who was more valuable? "That's the only thing I'm sure of," said Inuyasha, looking into Kagome's eyes. "For now." He added.

Kagome's heart was suddenly lessened of its worries. She wasn't just a replacement; she loved the way Inuyasha told her those words. She smiled at him tenderly. It was a nice answer—almost relieving. At least, she didn't feel any pain and she knew that Inuyasha told her the truth—she could see it in his eyes. "Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome said. "That's good enough for me. I promise I would stop thinking that I'm just your shard detector." She told him.

"At last, this conversation is finished!" Inuyasha said; his voice sounded relieved. "You go back inside the hut and have a little more rest before we go home later." Inuyasha said to Kagome, hiding the gladness he felt because their relationship was once again—_normal_.

"So we'll go back to Kaede-baachan's place later?" Kagome said, clarifying Inuyasha's statement a while ago.

"Yeah. You don't want to go there?" Inuyasha asked, looking confused. "You said we could return later."

Kagome shook her head. "Of course I want to go there." She said. "But can't we stay here a little bit longer until the villagers here have recovered?"

"I guess we could." Inuyasha answered, knowing that Kagome couldn't stop worrying until she knew that everything was back to normal in this village. Inuyasha could see it clearly in her eyes—the pain she was carrying because she had hurt so many people. Inuyasha suffered the same pain when he had transformed to his _youkai _form because he couldn't use the Tetsusaiga. He couldn't control his actions like Kagome and he had almost killed Kagome. _"But Kagome still stayed with me; she did not mind the danger of being slashed by my claws. She stayed there to protect me and she still trusted me. And now that it's her turn to feel that pain, I'll also stay by her side and I'll protect her—this time, I really will." _

"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome said, giving him a grateful smile. "I'll see you later in the morning." And she turned her back and went back to the hut. _"I know you understand this pain very well, Inuyasha. Thank you." _Kagome thought as she entered the hut.

Inuyasha jumped back to the branch where he used to rest and smiled contentedly to himself. "Apologizing does come in handy sometimes…" He muttered, before closing his eyes to return to sleep.

-

Inuyasha quickly opened his eyes and sniffed the air. He suddenly felt alarmed when he sensed that Kagome's scent around the village had been faint already. He rushed to the hut and looked around for Kagome but she wasn't there. The hut was still silent and the others were still sleeping at the far corner of the hut, oblivious of Kagome's disappearance. Inuyasha left the hut hurriedly and felt his heart beating very fast—he was awfully worried.

He sniffed the air again and found a faint trace of Kagome's scent. He followed the trace immediately, afraid that it might vanish soon. The scent led him inside the forest; he jumped swiftly from tree to tree with only Kagome in his mind.

"Where the hell did Kagome go? She wouldn't leave without telling me. That means…" Inuyasha stopped on a tree and tried to check the place for Naraku's disgusting smell. Not even a single trace of his scent was present. _"But he could have used another barrier."_ Inuyasha thought. The worry in his heart increased terribly and he could also feel the fear of losing Kagome again inside his heart. He continued to follow the trace of Kagome's scent, hoping that he would find her safe and still whole.

The sun was beginning to rise in the east and the whole place began to light up. And then he heard it. A terrified scream. It was Kagome's voice—Inuyasha knew that voice perfectly well—and by the tone of her voice, she was certainly in danger.

He rushed to the source of Kagome's shriek as fast as his feet could carry him.

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Meanwhile, Kagome was in the forest's clearing with her face looking quite terrified. She was currently backing away from a large bear _youkai_.

"Give me the Shikon shards." The bear _youkai_ demanded, showing her its fangs as it spoke. It moved forward and extended its hand to reach the bottle of Shikon shards around Kagome's neck.

Kagome tripped in a rock and fell down to the ground, her eyes getting more and more afraid. "I said don't come near me!" Kagome yelled, raising her hand to the _youkai_. A white light was emitted from her hand, dissolving the whole arm of the _youkai_.

"You pesky girl!" The _youkai _grunted, gritting its teeth in agony. "I'll really kill you!" It raised its other hand and revealed its claws to rip Kagome apart.

Kagome didn't have any options anymore but to close her eyes and wait for her doom.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, immediately rushing in front of her to protect her. He drew Tetsusaiga out and transformed it, slashing continuously at the _youkai_ and giving it its death. The _youkai's _body was shredded badly that there was no way it could return to life anymore even if it had regenerating power.

Inuyasha sighed in relief and sheathed Tetsusaiga. He turned to Kagome, who was still on the ground, staring at the once whole _youkai _that had tried to kill her.

"Are you all right?" Inuyasha asked, helping Kagome get up.

"Thank you for saving me." Kagome said appreciatively.

"Keh! You always get into danger when I leave you." Inuyasha said. "You shouldn't be running away like that without telling me." He told her. "If I haven't got here in time, you'd surely be dead meat when I see you!"

"You know me?" Kagome asked him, looking a little surprised.

"Eh?" Inuyasha looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean I know you?! Of course I do!"

"Then…" Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha's eyes earnestly. "Who am I?"

"What?!" That was all Inuyasha could say as he looked at Kagome. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know who am I. I woke up inside a shed and I don't know why I was there so I walked away to look around. Then, I went to the forest and that _youkai _chased me telling me to give it the Shikon shards." She explained. "Say, do you know what Shikon shards are?"

"Don't you remember anything?" Inuyasha asked, unable to believe this was actually happening.

"Sorry... but I really can't remember anything." Kagome replied. "I don't even know my own name."

"Your name is Kagome." Inuyasha told her. _"How did this happen? We need to get back to the village fast." _Inuyasha thought, looking at Kagome worriedly.

"Kagome?" Kagome repeated. "It's a nice name." She said, smiling a little. "I hope I could remember something."

"Why don't we go back to the village? Maybe you'll remember something if you see your friends." Inuyasha said, feeling bad as he saw Kagome like that—without any memory.

Kagome looked hesitant to go back but she finally agreed to return to the village since she somehow felt at ease with the white-haired boy beside her.

Inuyasha walked silently, looking sideways at Kagome, who was walking beside him and looking around with awe in her face. _"She looks like she has been here for the first time." _Inuyasha thought.

They finally reached the village and they headed straight to the hut where the others stayed.

-

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" Shippou immediately stood up and leaped to Kagome's arms.

Kagome looked curiously at Shippou and said, "How cute!"

"So where have the two of you been?" Miroku asked Inuyasha but his interest suddenly went to Kagome because she was patting Shippou like he was a pet or something. "What's going on?" He asked, unable to understand Kagome's actions.

"Kagome's lost her memory." Inuyasha said gravely, clenching his fists tighter.

"What?!" The three exclaimed in unison.

"I don't know how it happened. I just saw her in the forest's clearing being attacked by a _youkai_. Then she asked me if I knew her." Inuyasha told them. "She doesn't even know what Shikon shards are." He added, looking at Kagome, who was still fascinated with Shippou.

Inuyasha grabbed Shippou from Kagome and said, "Kagome, he's not a toy, okay?" He settled down on the floor and folded his arms in front of him, looking really troubled with the current situation.

"Sorry," Kagome murmured, a little disappointed that Inuyasha took away the cute kitsune from her. She looked around and settled her eyes on Kirara, who was also staring at her with interest.

"_Kawaii_," Kagome said softly, approaching Kirara and sitting in front of her to get a closer look. "Is she yours?" She asked, looking at Sango with a friendly smile.

"Um, yeah." Sango said, managing to smile back. "Her name's Kirara."

"Can I touch her?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"S-sure." Sango said, looking at Kirara then back at Kagome.

Kirara purred lightly as Kagome stroked her lightly at the back.

"Kagome, don't you remember me anymore?" Shippou asked with sadness in his eyes. "I'm Shippou." He told her, hoping she could remember him somehow.

"Shippou-chan?" Kagome said. She held her head and closed her eyes to try and remember. "Sorry, I really can't remember anything." She said, looking downhearted.

"That's all right, Kagome-chan." Sango reassured her. "I'm sure you'll be able to remember something once in a while. Don't pressure yourself too much. My name is Sango and this is Miroku." She said, pointing to the worried monk beside her. She pointed to Inuyasha and said, "And this is—"

"Shit! He's here!" Inuyasha suddenly exclaimed. "Kagome, you stay here! Shippou, you stay with her!" Inuyasha immediately rushed out of the hut, followed by Miroku, Sango and Kirara.

-

Inuyasha quickly headed towards the forest and found Naraku hidden in his white baboon coat standing in the forest floor.

"You came." Naraku said to Inuyasha.

"You bastard!" Inuyasha snarled. "What did you do to Kagome this time?!"

Miroku and Sango, who were riding Kirara, arrived shortly. They swiftly dismounted from Kirara and prepared for the battle that was about to ensue.

"So, she really lost her memory huh?" Naraku said, smirking at Inuyasha. "That's the result she gets for breaking the restraining necklace I placed on her."

Inuyasha looked confused with Naraku's words. "Restraining necklace?" He said. Then he remembered the necklace with the round purple pendant that Kagome had worn around her neck. That was the very necklace Kagome had told him to destroy. If he hadn't broken that necklace, what could have happened then?

"That necklace contains her _miko_ powers so she will stop fighting me. But she's really annoying to disobey my orders. I told her that it was better to wear that necklace instead of trying to break it. That necklace was bound with much power and being able to conquer that much power has a terrible consequence. She will lose her memory and who knows... it could be forever. She's not much of a trouble to me now. Her _miko_ powers had gone weak again. Such a pity for her," said Naraku, turning to look at the person approaching them.

"Look at her. How pathetic!" Naraku said, looking at Kagome, who was hurrying towards them followed by Shippou.

"_Inuyasha_!" Kagome shouted.

"You idiot! Why did you come here?! I told you to stay there!" Inuyasha shouted back.

Naraku jumped in front of Kagome and looked at her in the eyes. "I told you it's better to have that necklace than break it," said Naraku.

A sudden jolt of electricity seemed to creep into Kagome's body as she stared at Naraku. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Don't come near Kagome!!!" Inuyasha barked, swinging Tetsusaiga at Naraku.

Naraku's baboon coat was immediately shredded into little pieces only to reveal that it wasn't the real Naraku but another imitation.

"Damn it! Another puppet!" Inuyasha cursed, returning his sword into its scabbard.

Miroku and Sango immediately pulled Shippou and said to Inuyasha, "We'll go back to the village to cook some food, okay? See you later!"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and felt guilt build in his heart. _"If it weren't for me, Kagome shouldn't be suffering this much." _He thought painfully.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and asked, "Do you know that person? It seems that he knows me… Do I know him too?"

Inuyasha's heart crumbled as he looked into Kagome's eyes. "Kagome, that person was the reason why you lost your memory." He told her. "Naraku." Inuyasha said the name with pure hatred.

"I don't like the feeling I feel when he's near me," said Kagome, looking slightly afraid. "I don't know why but I feel terrified when he's near me."

"Don't worry, I won't let him near you again." Inuyasha said, pulling Kagome protectively into his arms and breathing her sweet scent. She still smelled the same way; he loved the way she smelled. It always assured him that everything was fine. "I'm sorry Kagome." He said, hugging her tighter. Then a sudden scene came back into Inuyasha's mind.

**"_Inuyasha_!" Kagome shouted. **

Kagome shouted his name a while ago! He hadn't told her his name yet but still she knew it! She still remembered something!

"It's all right…" Kagome said, not knowing how to react to such action. Then she suddenly spoke the name that never left her mind. "Inuyasha." She said softly.

"Kagome, you remembered my name!" Inuyasha told her, pulling away from her gently to look into her eyes.

"You mean your name is Inuyasha?" Kagome said, looking shocked at Inuyasha. She paused for a while and remembered the other instance she shouted his name—_Inuyasha_.

Inuyasha nodded. "How come you still remember my name even though you have lost your memory?" Inuyasha asked her.

"I don't know… It's the only word I can't seem to get out of my mind. I thought it was something special since it doesn't seem to go away. I always thought about that name." Kagome told him. She looked into his golden yellow eyes and said, "Inuyasha, what are you to me before I lost my memory?"

Inuyasha was slightly taken aback by Kagome's question. Just a while ago, Kagome had asked him what she was to him. Inuyasha had a hard time answering that question. But this was a harder question. What would he answer to her this time? What was he really to Kagome?

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A/N: Sorry!!!!!!!!! I know it really took me so damn long! Forgive me! By the way, what do you think will Inuyasha say? Will he take advantage of Kagome's amnesia and tell her that he is her boyfriend or something? Or will he tell the truth. Say, what is the truth? Anyway, whatever he will tell Kagome, it still depends on me. And if it depends on me, you'll only read it if you'll leave a review. So please review before you go… Thanks! Leave plenty of reviews for me okay?

Another thing, if you still haven't read my other fanfic about Inuyasha and Kagome please read it! It's just a one-shot sweet talk between Kagome and Inuyasha. If you liked it, please review and if you really really liked it, maybe you can encourage me to write another like that… Hmmmm…. So I guess you should read it okay? Just go to my profile to get the link owkei? Thank you!


	12. Why Do I Feel This Way?

A/N: Hi! Yeah, I know I really take so long before updating… I can't do anything about it. I just finished my examination week and it was like getting out of hell. It was really terrible. oo By the way, how come I haven't seen some of my recent reviewers….? Huhuhuhu…. Did they leave me because my story's already getting really annoying and really boring??? Huhuhuhu…. Poor me.

Anyway, enough of the drama. I still want to say thank you to those readers who still stick with this story (even though its author is really so annoying). Thanks to you I still choose to continue my story. And to the newcomers, welcome!!!!!! Please be patient because I really have a hard time balancing my time for school and writing. I'm still a student you know! And if I'm really taking so long already, why not read my one shot fanfic about Inu/Kag. It's really fluffy and it's just a one chapter so why not spare some time for me? Then review so I would know that I still have readers… Check my profile for the link of the story. Its title is "To Be Happy". Thanks.

Current events in the story: Kagome lost her memory and Inuyasha is still in denial that he loves Kagome. Keeps on saying that he loves Kikyou… (What a jerk!)

Please review after reading because I am currently upset about not getting many reviews lately… Sigh, I guess it's my fault….

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Disclaimer: Just read the disclaimer in chapter 10… I'm really depressed right now…. Not so many reviews…. huhuhu…

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This is a crappy chapter…

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Chapter 12

**_Why Do I Feel This Way?_**

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Inuyasha thought carefully about Kagome's question. Kagome had just asked him what he was to her. What would he answer her? He closed his eyes for a while, thinking of a good answer.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha patiently as she waited for his reply. _"Maybe I shouldn't have asked him that," _thought Kagome, seeing that Inuyasha was having a hard time with her question. "Um, it's okay if you wouldn't answer me…" She told Inuyasha, flashing a small smile at him.

Inuyasha opened his eyes to stare into Kagome's brown eyes. His eyes stayed locked with Kagome's eyes for a while, not knowing what else to do. She looked so innocent, like she hadn't suffered any pain at all.

Kagome felt like she would start melting if he would continue staring at her without saying anything so she shifted her gaze and landed on Inuyasha's ears. _"Those aren't human ears…" _She thought to herself. _"Dog ears?" _She thought curiously.

"I know what you're thinking." Inuyasha suddenly spoke, noticing Kagome's interested look on his ears. "I'm not human so I have them, I'm a _hanyou_." Inuyasha explained to Kagome, tucking his hands inside his long red sleeves.

"Half dog half human?" Kagome said, confirming her thought.

"Yeah, so will you stop staring already?" Inuyasha replied, getting annoyed at being stared at for too long.

"Sorry." Kagome whispered, lowering her head to look on the ground.

A deafening silence engulfed them. Kagome still had her eyes on the ground, not finding any words to speak to Inuyasha. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was looking at her but he seemed like he didn't have anything to say to her too. And so the silence continued.

"I guess we should be getting back." Kagome finally managed to say, getting tired of the silence between them. "They must be getting worried." She added, turning her back to leave. But even before she could make her first step, a hand took her hand all of a sudden, making her stop in her tracks.

"Wait,"

Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha. She stared at his hand holding hers then lifted her gaze to his face. "Inuyasha?" She asked, unable to understand the _hanyou's _reason for stopping her.

"I don't know what I am to you. You never told me." Inuyasha said with pure honesty. "But I know one thing that I know you know as well," said Inuyasha as he looked intently into Kagome's eyes. "I am your protector; whatever danger comes in your way, I'll always be there for you—I'll protect you." He said firmly.

Kagome was really touched by Inuyasha's words. Her heart seemed to work double time and she couldn't explain the wonderful feeling inside her. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She said softly, a smile secretly forming on her lips. But then, something else was at the back of her heart that stopped her from feeling happy about Inuyasha's words. It was the feeling of sadness and the fear of being left alone—being rejected. Why did she feel that way? She turned to look into Inuyasha's eyes once more, hoping to find an answer in his golden eyes.

_"Will he leave me alone?" _Kagome asked in her mind. _"I don't want him to leave me…"_ That was what her heart had been whispering to her. What was Inuyasha to her? She deeply wished she had her memory back…

Inuyasha also looked into Kagome's eyes and he could clearly see the sudden change of expression on her face. She suddenly seemed to be upset about something.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Inuyasha asked, trying to know her reason.

Kagome blinked and managed to force a smile at Inuyasha. "Nothing." She answered, hiding the sadness in her eyes. She shadowed her eyes with her bangs in order to conceal what she really felt.

"Liar, you're hiding your eyes to me. There _is_ something wrong! Why don't you tell me?!" Inuyasha said, clenching his fist tight.

"That's the problem! I don't know what's wrong with me. I can feel it but I don't know why I feel that way!" Kagome said, feeling angry with herself for being so helpless. "I really want to have my memory back…" She bowed her head and silently let her tears trickle down to her cheeks, not bothering to wipe them.

Inuyasha swallowed the lump forming in his throat and gathered all the courage he had to approach Kagome. He didn't want to see her shedding tears in front of him. It crumbled his heart to see her in such situation. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek and softly brushed her tears away. "You'll get your memory back so will you stop crying?! You're not helping yourself if you'll continue crying and…" He paused to look at Kagome, retrieving his hand that rested on Kagome's cheek gently.

Kagome also looked up to meet Inuyasha gaze, waiting for him to continue.

"And you're really annoying when you're crying." Inuyasha continued, twitching his ears a little. _"Maybe I shouldn't have said that…" _Inuyasha thought, awaiting Kagome's burst of anger.

Very opposite from what Inuyasha had been expecting Kagome to do, Kagome just smiled—genuinely this time—and said, "I won't cry anymore then."

Inuyasha's heart felt relieved to see Kagome smiling again and was also thankful that she didn't get angry with him again.

"Let's go back, I'm already hungry." Inuyasha said, trying to change the topic.

"Okay." Kagome replied, following Inuyasha back to the village. _"As long as Inuyasha is beside me, I'm going to be all right." _Kagome thought to herself.

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"Kagome!" Shippou cried, jumping into Kagome's arms. "What took you so long?" He asked, looking curiously at Kagome.

"Inuyasha and I were just talking about some things…" Kagome answered, looking at Inuyasha's way to ask for some help.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said, looking away from her. He sat down on the floor, folding his arms in front of him. "If you ask Kagome one more question, I'll cut your throat with my claws." Inuyasha said menacingly to Shippou.

_"That wasn't the help I was asking you…"_ Kagome wanted to say to Inuyasha but she decided not to say it anymore. Instead, she just scolded him for being so harsh to Shippou.

"He's such an annoying runt!" Inuyasha reasoned out, throwing a glare at Shippou.

"Kagome…" Shippou murmured fearfully, hiding behind Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded, glaring a little at him.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scorned, looking away from her. "Ungrateful bitch." He muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" Kagome demanded, pointing accusingly at Inuyasha.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, turning his back at Kagome. "I don't want this conversation anymore." He said.

"So do I!" Kagome said, turning her back at Inuyasha as well. _"Why does he need to be so rude?!?!" _Kagome thought, trying to control her rising temper.

"Kagome-chan, why don't we start eating?" Sango suggested in order to take Kagome's attention away from Inuyasha. "The food is already prepared." She said, beaming.

Kagome nodded, smiling back at her. "Yes, let's eat." She said, throwing a last glare at Inuyasha.

-

After finishing her food, Kagome stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked.

Kagome smiled. "I just want to take a short walk. I'll be back soon, don't worry." She said and was gone.

"Do you think she'll be all right to walk alone, Sango?" Shippou asked worriedly as he licked the lollipop Kagome had given to him for dessert. "She might run into trouble if she went alone. Inuyasha! Why don't you go with—" He gasped when he realized that Inuyasha wasn't in the hut anymore. "Inuyasha's gone!" Shippou exclaimed in surprise.

"He already went after Kagome-chan." Sango explained to Shippou, who was still stunned by the _hanyou's_ fast disappearance. "I think he knows that it's dangerous for Kagome-chan to be walking alone so he followed her." Sango said, looking at Miroku for his approval.

"He's just making sure that Kagome-sama wouldn't get hurt anymore," said Miroku, drinking what was left of his tea.

-

Kagome wandered around the village with her mind full of thoughts. _"I wonder how long I shall be like this… I want to remember everything already…" _She thought. _"Inuyasha." _She returned to the usual person that occupied her mind. _"What is he really to me?" _She held her head, trying to think about something. _"Is he really just my protector?" _Her mind was full of questions but none of them seemed to be answered.

Kagome looked around her and noticed a group of children looking at her. She stopped in front of them and stared at them. She could see intense fear within their eyes as they gazed at her. _"Why are you looking at me like that?" _She wondered, feeling her heart crush into pieces as she continued to look into their frightened eyes. She decided to approach them and ask them her question.

Just when Kagome was about to take a step forward, one of them shielded her arms in front of her and pleaded, "Please don't come near us!" Tears were threatening to fall down her pale white cheeks.

"Why?" Kagome asked, looking puzzled by the children's actions towards her. They were completely terrified with her but she didn't know the reason behind that fear.

"Mother! Mother! The _Ice Lady _has come back!!! She's going to kill us!!!" Another girl cried out, running frantically into a nearby cottage.

Women and men began to come out of their houses to go to their children. They immediately hugged their children and shielded them from Kagome.

"Murderer! Why are you here again?! Haven't you done enough damage to us?" A woman spat angrily at Kagome with a mixture of anger and fear in her eyes.

"Please leave us alone!" Another one cried, hugging her son tightly as if he would die if she'd let go of him.

"But I don't know what you're talking about." Kagome said, taking a step back.

A boy glared at Kagome and said to her with fuming eyes, "You're a horrible monster! We hate you!"

"Go away! You're a murderer! You don't suit here!" said another kid, giving her a deadly look that pierced Kagome's heart over and over again.

"You monster! Die!!!" A man carrying a sharp spear charged forward towards Kagome, planning to kill her with the weapon on his hand.

Kagome could see the spear drawing nearer to her. Was it her end? She didn't want to die yet. Not until she regained her memory… She remembered Inuyasha's words to her all of a sudden.

**"I am your protector; whatever danger comes in your way, I'll always be there for you—I'll protect you." He said firmly.**

_"Inuyasha, help me." _She prayed silently, putting her hands together and closing her eyes tightly as she saw the spear getting nearer and nearer.

Kagome felt a light gust of wind touch her skin and heard the spear being knocked from her killer's hand. _"I'm saved." _Kagome thought, sighing in relief. She finally opened her eyes and instantly saw the familiar red color of Inuyasha's kimono. _"He came!" _Kagome's mind shouted joyfully as her heart skipped happily in her chest.

"Don't ever try to hurt Kagome," said Inuyasha, gnashing his teeth as he looked at them ferociously. He picked up the man that tried to kill Kagome by his collar and revealed his claws in front of his throat. "You bastard! How dare you try to kill Kagome! I'll shred you into pieces for being so damn reckless." Inuyasha inched his claws nearer to his throat, growling angrily at him.

"Please don't kill me! Have mercy on me!" The man begged, his voice quivering and his eyes shaking in fear.

"Keh! Have mercy?" Inuyasha sneered, looking at him in disgust. "Why should I give you that? You tried to kill Kagome! You should die for that—" He suddenly stopped when he felt someone tugging his sleeve.

He turned his head to look into Kagome's soft brown eyes. There was fear in her eyes, Inuyasha could clearly see it and he was definitely annoyed to see Kagome like that. Together with fear was pain. Inuyasha couldn't take it any longer—he was totally enraged to see Kagome in pain.

_"Damn it! This fucking stinking human's going to pay for making Kagome so miserable." _Inuyasha thought, growling even louder as he looked at the trembling man on his hand.

"Don't Inuyasha!" Kagome said softly. "Don't kill him."

Inuyasha's ears flapped a little upon hearing Kagome's feeble voice. _"Don't kill him?" _Inuyasha's mind considered the words Kagome had said. Just the thought of not punishing this bastard was making his blood boil—almost making him turn into a _youkai_ in anger. He growled louder and tried to kill the bastard with his glowering stare.

"Please." Kagome's voice pleaded.

That had finally done the trick. Inuyasha threw the shaking human aside and took Kagome's hand in his.

"Try coming near Kagome again and not even her will stop me from killing all of you!" Inuyasha told them before pulling Kagome away towards the hut where Miroku and the others were staying.

Inuyasha was still growling as he continued to drag Kagome with him. _"Why the hell did she have to stop me?!" _Inuyasha thought to himself.

"Inuyasha," started Kagome.

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?" Ever since Inuyasha had taken her away, Kagome felt that Inuyasha was enraged about something. Maybe it was because of her.

"Not really." He wasn't actually mad that Kagome stopped him—he was mad because he couldn't even protect Kagome that all of these things had happened to her.

"Why are they mad at me?" Kagome asked. "Did I hurt them?"

"Just forget about them, will you?" Inuyasha grumbled. "They don't know what really happened. It wasn't you. So just ignore them."

"How can I ignore them? They keep on insisting that I'm a murderer," said Kagome sadly.

"They wouldn't insist anymore. If they would, I'll cut off their tongues." Inuyasha muttered, wanting the conversation to end already. Kagome was definitely bothered by those bastards and he wanted her to forget about it.

"But—"

Inuyasha stopped and turned to face Kagome. "Believe me, you didn't do anything to hurt them. Just forget it." Inuyasha interrupted, trying to convince Kagome that none of those things were her fault. None. _"It's all my fault." _Inuyasha thought.

Seeing the pain in Inuyasha's eyes, Kagome finally nodded. She didn't want to bother Inuyasha anymore. It wasn't only her that was suffering—Inuyasha was suffering too. Even twice her sufferings.

-

"Miroku! We need to pack up already, we're going back to the village." Inuyasha announced quickly just after entering the cottage. He didn't even notice that Hikari was in the room, talking to Sango and Miroku.

Hikari instantly stood up and walked towards Kagome, who was standing beside Inuyasha.

"Kagome, did you really lose your memory?" Hikari asked worriedly.

Kagome managed a small smile and replied, "I'm afraid that's true." She looked at Hikari with interest and added, "I don't actually recognize you… What's your name?"

Hikari looked somehow sad to see Kagome in such state. Even though they hadn't been really close and she even caused trouble in their village—even if it wasn't really her fault, she didn't want this to happen to Kagome. Not really.

"I'm Hikari." She told Kagome in a friendly manner.

"Are you done?" Inuyasha asked impatiently. "I want to get going as soon as possible." He told them.

"Why leave so soon?" Hikari asked.

"None of your business." Inuyasha said, picking up Kagome's bag on the floor.

Miroku tried to reason to Inuyasha but it was no use. "But Inuyasha, the people here are still—" He was quickly cut off by Inuyasha.

"Keh! The people here don't need us anymore. They can handle themselves." Inuyasha told Miroku, handing Kagome's yellow backpack to him. "Carry that for Kagome." He added.

"Kagome-sama, do we really have to go now?" Miroku asked, turning to Kagome.

Kagome shrugged. "Inuyasha wants to go badly, no one can stop him." She answered. She turned to Hikari and said, "We'll be going. Thanks for your kindness."

"It was nothing. Thank you for fixing the problem in our village," said Hikari, bowing politely.

"Let's go, Kagome." Inuyasha said, afraid that Kagome would start asking again about the incident in the village.

Kagome obediently followed Inuyasha outside, waiting for the others as they said their farewells to Hikari.

"Hey, get on already!" Inuyasha called Kagome, bending his knees a little to help Kagome ride on him.

Kagome couldn't stop the blush that was creeping all over her face. "Um, Inuyasha, do I always travel with you—like this?" At last! She finally managed to ask her question!

"Most of the time." Inuyasha answered, preparing to leap as he saw their companions come out of the hut. "Okay, let's go!" He jumped into the air, finally relieved that he was taking Kagome away from this village—away from her terrible memory of being known as the _Ice Lady_.

-

Inuyasha was far ahead of the group. All he wanted that very moment was to reach Kaede's place so he could consult the old _miko_ about Kagome's condition.

Kagome loved the feeling of being near Inuyasha. She felt safe whenever he was near her and she didn't know why she felt that way but she never felt any fear or worry that Inuyasha might drop her. Even though she didn't remember him much, she trusted him—completely. She smiled as the wonderful feeling inside her heart increased; the wind gently tapping her skin—she felt like flying. It was perfect bliss for her. The more time she spent with Inuyasha, the more she became eager to regain her memory. She wanted to remember Inuyasha—everything about him. She tightened her arms around Inuyasha's neck and leaned her cheek on Inuyasha's back; she didn't know why but she suddenly felt sleepy.

Inuyasha stilled a little when he felt Kagome leaning closer to him. "Hey, are you getting scared?" He asked, looking at her worriedly.

"No," Kagome said, shaking her head. "I just feel a little sleepy." She explained.

"You can sleep a little if you like," said Inuyasha, leaping into the air once again.

"It's all right, I can still handle myself." Kagome assured Inuyasha, raising her head to look at Inuyasha.

"Keh! Are you afraid that I'll let you fall?" Inuyasha asked, looking tauntingly at Kagome.

"It's not that!" Kagome said defensively.

Inuyasha took hold of Kagome's hands that were enveloping his neck and held them firmly. "You should sleep if you're tired. I'll hold you so you wouldn't fall." He told Kagome, taking a quick glance at her.

"I told you I could still handle myself!" Kagome pointed out as she blushed furiously. _"It's a good thing he's not looking at me." _Kagome thought, looking at Inuyasha, who was currently looking ahead of them.

"Heh! You'll fall asleep sooner or later," said Inuyasha with a smirk on his lips.

"No, I won't!" Kagome exclaimed, getting annoyed at Inuyasha for being so stubborn. She felt Inuyasha tighten his grasp on her hands all of a sudden.

"Just in case you fall asleep, at least you wouldn't blame me if you fall off, sleepyhead." Kagome heard him say.

Her hands felt really warm and the warmth that she felt was very pleasant. Nothing would ever harm her. That was the only thought in her mind as she felt her eyelids start growing heavier. And she finally gave in, sleeping peacefully as Inuyasha continued to jump from tree to tree.

Inuyasha took a peek at Kagome when he didn't hear any word from her anymore. He smirked when he saw Kagome sleeping on his back.

"Sleepyhead." He muttered, still wearing his smirk, as he checked his grip on Kagome's hands—it was tight and secured. Kagome wasn't going to fall—he wouldn't allow it.

-

Kagome slowly opened her eyes to find herself being laid on her sleeping bag by a certain silver-haired _hanyou_.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha smirked as he looked into Kagome's beautiful eyes. "So, you could handle yourself huh?" He said teasingly at her.

Kagome instantly blushed a deep shade of red not only because of Inuyasha's comment but also because Inuyasha was _very_ near her and her heart was beating like mad. "Where are we?" She asked so she could remove Inuyasha's attention from her flushing face. She took a quick look around and saw that it was already dark. _"It's Inuyasha's fault that I overslept!" _Kagome thought, looking at him. _"I felt really comfortable sleeping on his back…"_

"We're spending the night here in the forest. We'll reach the village tomorrow." Inuyasha explained to Kagome.

Miroku cleared his throat to get the two's attention. "I think you two should eat already or you might end up being glued together if you stay any longer like _that_," said Miroku, looking at them conspicuously.

Inuyasha and Kagome both froze in their positions as their faces glowed a bright shade of red all over.

Inuyasha's face had even outdone the red color of his kimono. He was so into Kagome's eyes that he forgot that he was _still _very near Kagome—his nose just a few inches away from her nose. He quickly moved away from Kagome, still blushing furiously. _"Damn that perverted monk! I'm going to kill him!!!" _Inuyasha thought, cursing Miroku in his mind.

Kagome could feel the heat on her face as she glanced at Inuyasha's way. _"What's happening?!?!?!" _Her heart thumping violently inside her chest.

Silence followed afterwards. Kagome was looking on the burning fire while, on the other hand, Inuyasha was throwing deadly 'I-Want-to-Kill-You-for-Not-Minding-Your-Own-Fucking-Business' glares at Miroku. Miroku didn't look at all bothered as he kept his cool, silently eating his food. Sango was looking at them innocently, blinking her eyes at the same time as Kirara.

Shippou took Kagome's cup of noodles and gave it to her. "Kagome, here's your food." He said, breaking the annoying silence.

"Ah, thank you, Shippou-chan…" Kagome managed to say, finally taking her eyes off the starry sky.

"Inuyasha, what do you plan to do when we get back to the village?" Miroku asked.

"Isn't that obvious?!" Inuyasha said. "I'm going to find some way to make Kagome regain her memory."

"Maybe you should let Kagome-chan go back to her country." Sango suggested, looking at Kagome for her reaction.

"My country?" Kagome asked uncertainly. "You mean I don't live here?"

"You live on the other side of the well." Shippou told Kagome.

"What?" Kagome said in confusion. "I don't understand."

"You travel through time. You don't actually live in this time. You came from the future through a well." Miroku said, trying to explain things in simple words.

"Wait," Kagome said, pausing for a moment. "A well? You mean the Bone-Eater's Well?"

Everyone stared at Kagome in disbelief.

"Kagome, you remembered something!" cried out Shippou.

"I want to see that well again…" Kagome said, her heart beating fast again. _"I'm going to remember everything soon! I know I will!" _She thought to herself.

"We should sleep then," said Sango. "So we can hurry to the village tomorrow and regain Kagome-chan's memory."

All of them agreed and went to their own sleeping bags to take a rest with the hope that Kagome would soon be recovering her memories. All of them were asleep except for Kagome.

Kagome was lying on her sleeping bag but definitely not asleep. She stared into the sky, watching the stars that were sprinkled on it. She shifted her body and laid on her side, looking at the tree Inuyasha was resting on. She raised her eyes to fix them on Inuyasha.

To her surprise, Inuyasha was also wide-awake—and was staring back at her.

_"Oh no! This feeling again!" _Kagome thought, feeling her heart race as she found herself under Inuyasha's gaze. _"Why do I feel this way???"_

If Kagome wouldn't get her memory back, all she could do was guess the answer…

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A/N: Sorry for the delay. Hope you like this crappy chapter. I think it's very fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So please review to tell me you agree or you definitely disagree. Review, okay? Thanks!!!!


	13. Don't Leave Me Here

A/N: Sorry for taking soooooooooo long. School is really killing me! And then, I came up with another Inuyasha story so I had to type that first. You could check it in my profile if you want to read it. It's already finished actually but I'm really considering an epilogue chapter. Of course, Inu/Kag once again. I know it's really annoying on your part because you have to wait so long… Please bear with me… I really need patient readers…

To those who reviewed the previous chapter, I loved reading your reviews! That's why I'm thanking you individually:

Jamfase - Yeah, I noticed that I sometimes slip from present to past tenses. It has been my problem ever since I started Stay. But now, the errors are checked and thanks for telling me! I appreciate your comment to improve my story! Thanks a bunch!

Cookies With Khleo - I'm really sorry!!!!!! Please forgive me for not updating quickly, ne?

Lynns - Of course, I'm continuing!

Tamakia'gss - Yeah, I think so too. Fluff is really a good thing! -winks-

Kittykathy - Stop it? Why do you want me to stop? Er, clarification please…. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

Hersheykiss1012 - I hope you liked that chapter for being fluffy… I'll try to lessen the time… talk to my school about it…

SoulofSaturn - One of my most loved review! You really lifted up my spirit! Thanks for the encouraging words, made me feel a LOT better!

Animelubber - Same line here. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time! Please DO forgive me.

Ryguy5387 - Fluff is "god"? Really? Anyway, I thought it was crappy because… er… I forgot.

Siliven - WOW! That was really kind of you! YOU reviewed ALL my chapters! I was so touched! T-T gets another tissue My, you really know how to make me happy… Thanks.

Inu-YashaLover4 - Here's more of Stay, thanks for saying it was great!

Lilkitty159 - More quickly? Er… Talk to my school about that.

RyoSanada1717 - Glad you loved it! Thank you very much for saying so!!!

Jewls2 - You read it one-shot?! Wow! You must be really interested in the story to read all of it! To think that my chapters are long… That's really overwhelming and flattering! Thanks! I'll still think about Naraku… but Kikyou's going to come out again in one of the future chapters… Just wait for it.

Miko-Inu69 - Wow! I've updated already! Thanks for the review!

Chibi Keiko - You should read more of this! You only read until chapter four, right? You'll be doing lots of reading… Hope you'll read and review more often!

Nina - Wow! You almost reviewed every chapter! I'm so happy!!!! You know, I was shocked when you said you hate me… And then when I read my author's note for those chapters where you said you hate me, I fell from my chair laughing! Lol! I actually told my reviewers to say that! Silly me! I really loved your review! Just want to make clear that my ass isn't lazy, my school is the sole reason why I haven't updated lately!!!!

Angela - I'm not making the world wait for the next chapter! Lol! I told you, it's my school! I really loved your looooong review! Wow! So inspiring and it makes me feel so… great! Thanks a million for that long comment! Hope you do that again this chapter…

Brittanie Love - You too! You reviewed almost ALL my chapters! I was so glad when I read your reviews! Thanks for reading and reviewing them! You even read To Be Happy and DTBT… Makes me want to cry more… T-T Sniff.

I love you all! Sniff. Sniff. Can't stop sniff crying… -sniff- You were really so -sniff- touching… That made so happy that I was jumping up and down around the room after I read those reviews—while crying too! Maybe you could give me longer reviews this time to make me happy again? Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this one!

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Disclaimer: Inuyasha and company aren't mine… But I do own the plot of this story! Gwahahahahaha!

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(Suddenly, Inuyasha appears out of nowhere, beside Miara while she was typing this chappie…)

Inuyasha: Oi! wench!

Miara: What did you just call me?!

Inuyasha: I just called you wench, baka!

Miara: Fine! I'm really going to make you act a lot more like a jerk in this chapter! evil grin

Inuyasha: You can't do that! (with terrified eyes)

Miara: Of course I can. smirk

Inuyasha: Hey, what are those names doing in this chapter? (trying to change the subject to make Miara forget that he just called her wench)

Miara: Them? smiles proudly They're my lovable readers! See! Many people like reading my story so don't try to stop me. I'm really going to love this chapter… Kagome will too… Since you'll be very kind to her this time…

Inuyasha: Creepy bitch! Since when did I become nice to that wench?!

Miara: (ignores Inuyasha's ranting) Kagome's really going to enjoy this chapter… (looks to her readers) Review afterwards, ne? Inuyasha is really grumpy right now… Maybe I should give him ramen… What d'ya think?

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Chapter 13

**_Don' t Leave Me Here…_**

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"Why are you still up?" Inuyasha asked Kagome, still not tearing his eyes away from hers.

"I can't sleep anymore." Kagome replied, sitting up slowly so she wouldn't wake up Shippou, who was—as usual—sleeping beside her. "Aren't you going to get some sleep?" She asked, her heart still kept on racing.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "My body's a lot tougher than yours so I don't have to sleep that often! Besides, I'm not sleepy." He told her, looking away from her.

Slowly, Kagome's heartbeat began to slow down—to her relief. She stood up and walked her way towards Inuyasha's tree. "Do you mind if I join you then? I'm not sleepy too anyway." She said, smiling her beautiful smile—the smile Inuyasha missed so much when she had been away.

Inuyasha's heart was always relieved by that smile. That smile that always told him he was not alone and that everything would be fine… "Are you sure you're not sleepy anymore?" Inuyasha asked, looking at her with disbelieving eyes.

"Are you saying that I can't join you?!" Kagome demanded, not liking the look on Inuyasha's eyes.

"I'm just saying that you should be sleeping instead!" Inuyasha replied, raising his voice just a little so he wouldn't disturb their sleeping companions.

"So you don't like me to join you…" Kagome's voice was obviously hurt and disappointed.

Of all the things Inuyasha hated so much, seeing Kagome cry was definitely on the first five things—maybe even the first thing. Before that thing happened, he immediately left his branch and went down to Kagome's side. Muttering something about being pushed around by stupid bitches, he quickly scooped her from the ground and bounded back to his nest up on the tree.

Kagome's breath got stuck in her lungs so she wasn't able to utter any sound. When she had finally recovered from her surprise, she glared at Inuyasha. "Why did you do that?!" She asked.

"Do what?" Inuyasha said, looking at her with confused eyes.

"Why did you take me up here?!" Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha rolled his beautiful golden eyes at her. "You said you wanted to join me." He pointed out.

"But I thought you didn't want—"

"Aargh! Will you stop saying that crap?!" Inuyasha ranted in frustration. "If you really want to join me then I'm not going to stop you, okay?" He crossed his arms in front of him arrogantly and said, "But I really think you must be sleeping instead, you know."

"I told you I'm not sleepy anymore." Kagome repeated to Inuyasha slowly to make the words clear to him. She began swinging her legs languidly as she started to feel comfortable about being up on a tree. She felt herself smiling contentedly as she looked down at the others. "It must be really great to be always up here. You get to see everyone perfectly well." She said, her smile widening.

Inuyasha leaned back on the trunk of the tree and pillowed his head on his hands. "Maybe…" He muttered, not quite understanding why Kagome was very happy about being up on a tree. _"She really acts like a child sometimes…" _thought Inuyasha to himself.

"I guess you don't enjoy being up here much like I do then," said Kagome, looking at Inuyasha for a while then turning her gaze towards the star-filled sky.

"I just enjoy staying here because I could have my own space and I could guard all of you when you are sleeping." Inuyasha said to her listlessly.

"Don't you get tired that you have to stay up the whole night?" asked Kagome curiously, not looking at Inuyasha but instead, she began counting the bright stars above her. "It's probably boring too, since you're all alone…" She added softly as she continued her counting.

"Not really…" Inuyasha replied, looking at her closely. _"Especially since I always enjoy watching you sleep." _His mouth itched to say. Realizing what he had actually thought of saying to Kagome, Inuyasha mentally slapped himself. _"Jerk! You had actually admitted that you liked to watch_ _Kagome while she slept!!!"_ Inuyasha blushed at the thought and sighed gratefully because Kagome wasn't looking at his direction. _"Wait!" _Inuyasha thought, pausing to replay the things he just thought a while ago. _"Admitted?!" _He repeated to himself. _"I take that back! I'm not actually watching her! DAMN IT!" _He cursed mentally for saying something so shitty. Then his blush increased when he realized what he was _actually_ doing that very moment… He _was_ watching her—again!

Kagome turned her head to look at Inuyasha with interest. "Anything wrong?" She asked, tilting her head on one side as she examined Inuyasha's face. "You seem to be tense." She observed.

"No, I'm not!" Inuyasha denied hurriedly. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep?" He asked again, hoping she'd finally sleep instead of bugging his mind with annoying thoughts.

"Do you really want to dispatch me that much?" Kagome asked, pouting her lips. "Aren't you happy that you've got someone to talk to?"

"Keh!" He said as he looked away from her and placed his hands inside the sleeves of his red coat. "If you're expecting me to thank you for joining me up here, you've got another thing coming."

"So you really don't like me here, don't you?!" Kagome asked, shooting deadly glares at the ungrateful bastard in front of her.

"I'm just telling you that you should be sleeping instead!" Inuyasha answered in defense. "Why do you always get mad?!" He looked at her like she was being too cruel to him.

"Because you're hurting my feelings, you know!" Kagome hissed, trying to calm herself. "I don't understand why I had stayed with you until now, I must be crazy back when I sill had my memory to be able to endure you so much!"

Inuyasha stared at Kagome for a while, thinking about the words she had said. He felt his lips curling into a smirk when the words finally sunk in to him. "Yeah, I don't understand either." He said, the words sinking in more painfully. "Maybe you are crazy…" He muttered more to himself, even though his eyes were fixed on Kagome, as if trying to find the answer to his question.

Kagome suddenly felt guilt in her heart for saying those words. She wished hard that she could turn back time so she wouldn't have to say those words anymore. It was evident in his eyes—Inuyasha was hurt. "Sorry…" Kagome whispered to make up for what she had said, but still the guilt never left her. It was like she had done something really bad and there was no way to fix it anymore. She hated herself for casting that sadness in Inuyasha's eyes. Why did she have to do something so heartless? "I guess I'll just have to sleep already…" Kagome said, averting her gaze from his. "Um, could you help me go down?" She was really pathetic. After she had hurt him, she was expecting him to help her?!

"No." Inuyasha simply said.

_"See?" _Kagome thought, scolding herself. _"He's mad at you, stupid! He wouldn't help you!" _

"Stay here."

"Wha…?" Kagome raised her eyes to question Inuyasha. _"Did he just say… stay?" _

"You don't need to go." Inuyasha said, avoiding her eyes. "It will be morning soon so you wouldn't have enough time to sleep anymore. It will be pointless to sleep now."

"Okay." She whispered in return.

Silence followed afterwards. A silence that only increased the guilt Kagome felt.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said, glancing at Inuyasha.

"…"

"I'm really sorry about—"

"It's all right. I know you didn't mean it." Inuyasha interrupted, not meeting her eyes.

Kagome's heart felt relieved of its burden. He had forgiven her—he understood. _"Maybe that's what made me stay here with him…" _She mused, smiling a little. "If I still had my memory with me, I'm sure I wouldn't be saying those words to you." She said, looking at Inuyasha with a bright smile.

Inuyasha smirked in return. "You probably would, especially when I push you to your limits." He said. _"Actually, you still act like Kagome even though you lost your memory." _

Kagome smiled back. "At least, I know I'm acting normal…" _"He's really unpredictable sometimes…" _She thought, watching Inuyasha silently. Then she suddenly remembered something that she should ask to Inuyasha. "Can I ask you something?" She inquired hesitantly.

Inuyasha looked at her with full attention, waiting for her to continue.

"Do you know what are these?" Kagome touched the bottle of Shikon shards hanging around her neck. "They've been with me ever since I woke up… and they give me a certain feeling. I don't know exactly what it is… but it's very distinct…" She looked up at Inuyasha, hoping for an answer.

"Shikon shards, that's what they are called." Inuyasha explained patiently like a father would to a small pup. "These are parts of the Shikon no Tama."

"Shikon no what?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said Shikon no Tama." Inuyasha repeated. "It's a jewel that grants a wish of whoever possesses it. That's why we must collect the jewel so it won't fall into wrong hands."

"So why am I keeping them exactly?" She asked, still unable to understand everything.

"You can purify the jewel and you are the one who can sense them." Inuyasha told her. "The feeling you are sensing is the aura of the shards. So if you feel something like it, it means that a shard is nearby."

"Oh, now I understand." Kagome said, looking down at the pink shards inside the bottle. "After we complete the jewel, what will happen?"

"I will wish on the jewel so I can become a full _youkai_." Inuyasha stated matter-of-factly.

"You want to become a full _youkai?_" Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Why?" She asked innocently.

"You know I really hate you for losing your memory." Inuyasha muttered, growling lowly.

"You don't need to answer me if you don't want to…" Kagome said, looking at Inuyasha with worry in her eyes.

_"Damn those eyes!" _Inuyasha thought. _"They always make me say everything to Kagome. Because she always listens…" _And this time was no exemption. He sighed and replied calmly, "Because I hate being weak."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha with a cringed forehead. "You're not weak." She said.

_"Keh! You just don't know how much I blame myself for everything that has happened. If I weren't weak, I could have protected Kikyou… If I weren't weak, I could have protected you. Hell, if I weren't weak, you wouldn't be like this!" _Inuyasha said in his mind. "You don't know anything." He finally said.

"Maybe I know just a little, but still I know something," said Kagome softly. "I know you're always there to protect me." She smiled at him to reassure his worries. "I believe in you, so even though you're weak or what, it's okay."

_"Kagome…" _Inuyasha looked into Kagome's eyes and saw nothing but warmth. That was what he loved in her eyes; they were warm like the gentle sunlight. Under those eyes, he never felt cold and alone—never.

"By the time we finish the jewel," said Kagome, changing the topic. "Will it still be necessary for me to go here? You said I don't actually live here so…" Her voice trailed off.

After a moment of silence, Inuyasha asked, "You want to go home already?" His golden eyes weren't looking at Kagome, a trace of loneliness and sadness in them.

Kagome was silent for a while. Actually, she was not sure why she had asked that. Maybe because a part of her heart was compelling her to do so… But the reason why? She didn't know it yet. But somehow, she suddenly felt fear of leaving this place. Fear of leaving Inuyasha—and not seeing him again. _"Why?" _She wondered.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome from the corner of his eyes nervously, waiting for her important answer. His heart had a certain feeling. What was it? _"Fear." _Inuyasha told himself mentally. _"I don't like Kagome to leave. I want her to stay… always stay by my side. Now that her memory is gone, will she still choose to stay? She promised to stay before... will she change her mind?" _Inuyasha gathered all the courage he could muster and took a deep breath. "Kagome—"

"Look! The sun is finally up!" She cried out, pointing to the yellow line that marked the horizon. The sky began to change its color from pitch black to warm colors of yellow, pink and orange. "Finally!" Kagome said, stretching her arms high. She turned to Inuyasha and smiled, "You were saying something?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes on her. "Never mind." He muttered, unable to believe what was happening. _"She's really fucking annoying when she does that. Ever since she lost her memory, she would always ask stupid questions that make my brain split into two. Irritating wench!" _Inuyasha thought, looking at Kagome.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha like a curious little kid would. "Inuyasha? Is there anything wrong?" She inquired.

"Nothing, believe me." Inuyasha replied with pure sarcasm. _"It's just that you left me hanging and waiting for your damn answer!" _He wanted to say but he was also afraid to know that she would leave him—and never return anymore. _"Maybe it's better not to know for a while…" _

"Okay, if that's what you say…" said Kagome, studying Inuyasha's face for a while before finally giving up. "So could you put me down?" She beamed brightly.

Inuyasha sighed. _"But something tells me, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I wouldn't know her answer soon." _He thought as he helped Kagome go down.

-

It was already noon when the group had reached the village. Kaede was pretty shocked to know about Kagome's situation but she told them that there was a big chance that Kagome would be able to recover her memory because she was able to remember some stuff from time to time.

"So Kaede-sama, what do you think should we do?" Miroku asked, looking attentively to the old priestess.

"Kagome, I think you should go back to your time." Kaede suggested seriously.

"WHAT?!" Shippou exclaimed, jumping to Kagome's lap. "Why does she need to do that?"

"That is a good idea," commented Miroku, nodding to Kaede. "Kagome-sama will be able to remember a lot of things if she'll go back to her home. At least, her family will know her condition and they'll be able to help her too."

"But can't we just help Kagome ourselves?" Shippou asked, definitely not wanting Kagome to be away from them.

"Shippou, Kagome-chan also has her family on the other side of the well that is worrying about her. We will be selfish if we won't inform them about her situation, don't you think?" Sango explained to convince Shippou.

"But…" Shippou bowed his head in depression. "I don't want Kagome to go…"

"Shippou-chan, I'm not going away that long," said Kagome to cheer up the little kitsune. "And besides, I really want to get my memory back so we have to do everything it takes, right?" She flashed a soft smile.

"Okay." Shippou agreed at last.

"Inuyasha," Kaede said, looking at the _hanyou _who was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed.

Inuyasha's ears twitched but he didn't open his eyes. "What?" He asked gruffly.

"Will you take Kagome home for us?" Kaede asked.

Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up properly. "Why do I have to take her home?! She can walk herself." He reasoned out, looking at Kagome sideways. _"Well, it's not that I don't like to take her home…"_

"If you want Kagome to walk through the forest _alone_—so Naraku can get her again—well, I guess that won't be a problem." Kaede said uncaringly. "Probably that will help Kagome remember something." She added.

Inuyasha felt shivers down his spine by the mention of Naraku's name. _"That bastard! No way in hell will I let him near Kagome again!"_ He stood up slowly and picked up Kagome's bag on the floor. "Kagome, let's go." He said, walking towards the exit.

Kagome nodded quickly then stood up to follow Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" Kaede called out before they went any further.

"I'm already taking her home, old hag!" Inuyasha shouted. "So will you shut up?!"

"I'm just going to tell you that you should take her personally to her family. She might go wandering to the wrong people." Kaede said then muttered something about grumpy cocky _hanyous_.

"Whatever!" Inuyasha yelled back and they were off.

Kaede sighed then shook her head from side to side. Well at least, she convinced Inuyasha to take Kagome home...

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Inuyasha and Kagome were now standing in front of the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Let's go?" Inuyasha said, looking at Kagome, who was standing beside him.

"Okay." She nodded, approaching the well.

They were settled on the mouth of the well, Kagome staring deep down the well. "Are you sure this is safe?" She asked Inuyasha tentatively. "I don't feel so sure about this…" She shivered a little.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said. "Idiot! You always jump here and now you're scared?!"

"I lost my memory, remember?!" Kagome reasoned out, glaring a little at Inuyasha. _"Such an annoying git!" _She thought to herself.

"Just fucking jump!" Inuyasha told her. "You won't get killed there, you know!"

But still Kagome looked undecided. "But..." She didn't finish her sentence anymore, taking another examining look at the bottom of the well. "It's creepy..." She whispered with nervous eyes.

"You're such a coward!" Inuyasha scorned, getting her hand that was resting on the wooden brim and holding it tight. "Come on, we'll jump together, okay?" He said reassuringly to her.

Kagome swallowed but she nodded. "Okay." She said meekly.

The two jumped into the well, their hands joined together.

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"Kagome,"

Kagome finally opened her tightly shut eyes and looked around. It was dark. "Where are we?" She asked, seeing Inuyasha's golden orbs in the dim surroundings.

"We're inside the well." Inuyasha told her.

"Shall we go out?" Kagome suggested.

"Okay." Inuyasha agreed.

"Um, Inuyasha?" Kagome looked into his eyes shyly.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked at her with confusion.

"My hand…" She mumbled in a low voice. She could feel her cheeks reddening while she spoke.

Inuyasha looked down and saw that he was still clutching her hand safely in his. He quickly took his hand away and muttered, "Keh!" _"Damn it! Why do I always get into embarrassing situations with Kagome lately?!?!" _He wondered while blushing furiously.

"Thank you…" Kagome whispered, trying to steady the beating of her heart. _"Why do I always have a problem with my heartbeat whenever Inuyasha's around?!?!" _She pondered as she made her way to the ladder on the side of the well. But then, she suddenly remembered that she was wearing a skirt. She turned to Inuyasha once more and said, "Turn around."

"What?" Inuyasha said, unable to understand.

"I'm going to go up so you need to turn around!" Kagome snapped impatiently.

_"And she told me she trusted me…" _Inuyasha thought, sighing mentally. "Do you think I'd do something horrible like that perverted monk does?!" He shouted at her.

"Hey! You're a _boy_ after all!" Kagome pointed out.

"I'm not a _perverted_ boy, okay?!" Inuyasha replied.

"You're wasting our time, you know!" Kagome scolded, placing her hands on her waist.

"_You_ are wasting _my_ time." Inuyasha corrected, pulling Kagome close to him and springing up to the surface.

Once more, Kagome wasn't able to shout or make any sound because her breath was caught—this time in her throat. "You should stop surprising me like that, you know!" Kagome said, pushing herself away from him while glowering at him. "You're going to give me a heart attack sooner or later!" She complained.

"Whatever." Inuyasha said dismissively as he went towards the door of the well house.

"Hey! Wait up!" Kagome called, running to catch up with Inuyasha.

-

"Inu no niichan!" Souta exclaimed when he saw Inuyasha standing beside his chair.

"Inuyasha! Finally you stopped!" Kagome sighed in relief when she reached the room, gasping for air, probably because she had been running to catch up with Inuyasha.

"Kagome?" Her mother blinked, looking puzzled by their sudden arrival.

Kagome inched closer to Inuyasha, looking diffidently at her family.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" Her grandfather asked, seeing Kagome's unusual behavior. She never gave them that look—a look that made them think that she saw them as strangers.

"Kagome has lost her memory." Inuyasha told them grimly.

"What?!" Souta uttered in surprise, looking at Inuyasha with wide eyes then at Kagome.

Mrs. Higurashi looked at Kagome worriedly and asked her, "Is that true, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded slowly, not opening her mouth to speak.

"Don't you even recognize us?" Her grandfather said, hoping that she would say that she did remember them somehow.

Kagome looked at them closely one by one, trying very hard to remember something. But to their disappointment, she shook her apologetically at them. "Sorry…" She whispered.

Her grandfather and brother frowned in defeat, looking worriedly at Kagome. Her mother stood up and walked towards Kagome. "That's all right, dear." She assured her daughter, smiling sweetly at her. "I'm sure you'll get your memory back soon." She pulled Kagome into her arms and embraced her tightly. "Don't worry, we'll help you." She whispered in her ear.

Kagome felt her heart calm down when she saw that smile. _"This woman… she's really nice…" _Kagome thought, feeling warm as her mother hugged her tighter.

"Inu no niichan, are you going already?" Kagome heard Souta ask Inuyasha.

There was no reply but Kagome could hear Inuyasha's footsteps—fading away.

Kagome broke away from her mother gently. "Please excuse me for a while." She said hurriedly then ran after Inuyasha.

-

Inuyasha was now outside the house, making his way towards the well house.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, running towards him.

Inuyasha froze in his tracks but he didn't turn around to face her. "Stupid wench!" He barked angrily. "Why did you leave your house?!"

Kagome was standing behind Inuyasha, breathing rapidly. "Because you left me there!" She replied. "I thought you were staying here with me…" She said; a hint of disappointment could be traced in her voice.

"You have your family here; you're safe here," said Inuyasha. "So you don't need me here." He stated, clenching his fist tightly the moment he had said those words. He didn't know those words would cause him pain. _"You don't need me…" _He repeated the words in his mind. He hated those words very much. He wanted to stay by Kagome's side—always wanted to do something for her sake.

"Of course I need you here!" Kagome told him with pure honesty. "It's not that I don't trust them… but I would feel safer with you here with me." She said softly. "Please stay?"

Inuyasha could feel his heart speed up. Kagome had just asked him to stay... It was almost like the time she asked if she could stay with him—only this time, she lost her memory. "Keh!" Inuyasha scorned, taking another step towards the well house. "You'll get used to them soon." He said but something stopped him from moving away.

Kagome held to Inuyasha's sleeves tightly. "Don't leave me here…" She said almost like a whisper.

Inuyasha couldn't believe it! For the first time, Kagome didn't want to be left alone in her time! Normally, she would push Inuyasha to go back to the other side and leave her alone. But of course this was a different situation… He took Kagome's hands away from his coat sleeves gently and turned around to look at Kagome—to explain to her that everything would be all right. "Kagome, you don't need to worry—" Inuyasha paused when he met Kagome's eyes. They were pleading to him, like a lost puppy that needed a home. Somehow, it reminded him of how his own eyes looked like when her mother died. He got no place to go back then… but Kagome came and everything had changed. He had found his home.

"Don't leave me here…" She repeated with the same kind of voice, her eyes pleading to him. "Please." She added, looking firmly into his golden yellow eyes.

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A/N: Yes! I'm back with another chapter—AND another cliffie! Update will be next week as long as I get 20 reviews for this one okay? If not, maybe I'll post after a month? Just kidding! Just review okay? looks around the room I wonder where Inuyasha went… Probably he went off to Kagome since he already misses her! - He was really grumpy the whole time I was typing the chapter… Anyway, do you think he'll stay with Kagome? Hm… I guess I'll ask him later when he comes back. But of course, if he doesn't stay… I'm still going to make him stay! Lol! Of course, he'll stay! Once again, review please! Make them long, ne?


	14. The Long Talk that Made Inuyasha Stay

A/N: How come no matter how hard I try to make it on time, I always end up updating super late?.! I won't explain anymore. You know my reason. Again, I'm sorry about that…

Anyway, let's just go to the happy side of this author's note. I want to thank all of my reviewers! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Especially to those who made a loooong review! I really loved reading them. Thanks for the time you allot just to read my fanfic and, of course, to review afterwards. I'm extra happy because I got plenty of reviews for that chapter!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Who said I did? Nobody so let's just get on with the chapter! -

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Chapter 14

**_The Long Talk that Made Inuyasha Stay _**

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Inuyasha continued to stare into Kagome's brown eyes without uttering a single word. The more he stared at those eyes, the more he was tempted to stay. What harm would it do him to stay, right?

"Hey!" Kagome snapped, glaring impatiently at Inuyasha. "Are you staying or what?.!" She continued to pierce Inuyasha with her dagger stares.

Inuyasha scowled at Kagome's sudden change of emotions. Her eyes lost their hypnotizing power and all that was left was annoyance and impatience. Inuyasha sighed in relief inwardly. _"Damn! If she kept those eyes just for one more second, I would have agreed into staying here!" _thought Inuyasha.

"Hey!" Kagome shouted in front of Inuyasha to snap him out of his stupor. He was staring at her but his mind seemed preoccupied with something that was why he couldn't hear her.

"Hey! Why the hell are you yelling at my face?.!" Inuyasha demanded, matching her icy glares.

"Because you were spacing out!" Kagome retorted.

"I was not fucking spacing out!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Then why didn't you answer my question?.!"

"Fine, I'll answer your damn question!" Inuyasha barked. "I'm NOT staying. No way!"

Kagome hands balled up as her anger increased. "WHAT?.!" She burst out.

"Keh! You heard me, I said I'm not staying." He repeated, his face as arrogant as ever.

Kagome continued to glare at him, greatly hoping that her glares could kill the stupid annoying moron in front of her. _"Insensitive punk die! Insensitive punk die!" _She kept on repeating those same words in her mind, trying to keep herself from strangling the white-haired _hanyou _to death.

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha turned his back, planning to leave already. But before he could make his first step, he felt Kagome's hand tightly holding the sleeve of his coat.

"What?.!" Inuyasha said, looking back with irritated eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?.!" Kagome asked hotly.

"Keh! Stupid bitch!" Inuyasha said, leaning his face forward to make sure his eyes were connected with Kagome's. "Haven't I made myself clear yet?" He said the words while his gaze stayed fixed in Kagome's eyes, his lips wearing a smug smirk.

The young _miko_ swallowed the forming lump in her throat as she stared back at Inuyasha's golden orbs. The seeming indestructible anger she felt suddenly melted away the moment she saw Inuyasha's eyes. _"Oh no!__ My heart's starting to beat faster again!"_ She thought in alarm.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk even more at the way Kagome's anger vanished from her eyes to be replaced by nervousness all of a sudden. _"Good little girl…" _Inuyasha thought happily, looking at the once domineering scary witch in front of him—now known as the submissive little Kagome. He widened his smirk and said, "Now stay here while I go back to the other side of the well." He loosened Kagome's grip on his coat and began walking towards the well house again. "Just be a good girl and I'll pick you up tomorrow," said Inuyasha, his back facing Kagome as he continued to leave.

_"Be a good girl?.!" _Kagome repeated the words in her head, her anger immediately returning. _"What does he think am I?.! A little puppy?.! That jerk! I'm going to teach him!" _"Wait!" She called out to Inuyasha.

But Inuyasha ignored her; he just kept on walking away.

"I said WAIT, YOU JERK!" Kagome shouted louder. _"How dare he leave me here when he knows I need him here!"_

"Keh! Shout all you want! I'm still leaving!" Inuyasha replied loudly, still walking away and not bothering to look back at Kagome anymore.

Kagome clenched her fists tightly as she glared at Inuyasha's departing figure. "Why you—you insensitive dog boy! _SIT!_" Finally, she had said it. She didn't know why that word kept on popping out of her mind whenever she felt very mad at Inuyasha. Her mind kept on bugging her to say that word, as if that word would inflict the most terrible punishment to Inuyasha for being so infuriating. And when Kagome saw what happened to Inuyasha—_"Ah? He actually sat?.!" _Kagome thought, looking at Inuyasha's body sprawled on the ground.

"Bitch…" groaned Inuyasha, trying unsuccessfully to pull himself off the dirt.

Kagome ran towards Inuyasha, looking down at him with interest. "Are you all right?" She asked worriedly.

At last, the spell weakened so Inuyasha immediately heaved himself off the ground and glared at Kagome. "You wench! How dare you say the word and then ask me if I am okay!" He growled, pointing an accusing finger at Kagome.

"What are you talking about?.!" Kagome asked, unable to understand Inuyasha's drift. "I didn't do anything to you! All I did was say 'sit' and—" She paused when Inuyasha crashed down the earth once more. She bent down to Inuyasha and looked at him. "And you suddenly hit the floor flat—just like that." She explained, looking thoughtfully at the _hanyou_. "Are you all right?" She asked again.

Inuyasha lifted his head, fixing his annoyed amber eyes at Kagome. "Damn it! Why can't you just shut up?.!" He grumbled. _"And she has the guts to ask—for the second time—if I'm all right! She's really fucking annoying!" _When the spell waned, Inuyasha grouchily sat up, crossing his legs and inserting his hands in his long sleeves. "Will you stop asking if I'm all right?.! It really ticks me off." He stated sharply, not lowering his glowering eyes.

Kagome matched Inuyasha's glares but her face was still with confusion. "Why are you mad at me?.! I didn't do anything! All I did was say the word—"

Moving swiftly before the dreadful word could leave Kagome's mouth, Inuyasha covered Kagome's mouth with his clawed hand, leaning his face crossly to meet Kagome's chocolate brown eyes. "Didn't I just tell you to shut up?.!" Inuyasha said through gritted teeth while growling lowly. _"Stubborn bitch."_ Inuyasha said in his mind.

Kagome yanked Inuyasha's hand off her mouth and said, "Tell me what's going on or I'm not going to shut up!"

Inuyasha leaned back and looked at Kagome with a vexed expression on his countenance."You're so impossible!" He told her.

"I still don't get it," said Kagome, looking at Inuyasha with narrowed eyes—definitely looking as annoyed as Inuyasha.

"You remembered the _word_ yet you didn't remember its effect?.!" Inuyasha pointed out. "Why do you always have to remember the crappy things?.!" He complained.

"What word are you talking about?" Kagome inquired, reviewing the words she had used when Inuyasha started plummeting himself on the ground. Then the answer finally hit her. The word that always bothered her when Inuyasha was being his usual exasperating self. "You mean—_sit_?" She asked naively, forgetting the effect once again.

"Argh!" Inuyasha uttered as he felt himself being dragged down—for the third time—to eat dirt.

"Ah! Sorry!" Kagome said immediately. "I thought that wasn't the right word but it appeared to be the correct one, all right…" She flashed a little cute smile when Inuyasha raised his head to finally kill her with his deadly glares.

"Bitch…" Inuyasha grunted, trying to stop himself from eating the irritating little bitch in front of him alive. He slowly pulled himself off the dirt and began brushing the dust off his red _haori_. Then a horrible thought struck him, making him wish that Kagome didn't remember the damn word. _"Shit! Now she knows how to subdue me! I just hope she doesn't use that to make me—"_

"So do you still plan to leave me here?" Kagome asked, her eyes glinting mysteriously that gave Inuyasha a feeling that he would be doing something he didn't like to do really soon.

_"Gah!__ I knew it! She's going to make me stay here!"_ Inuyasha thought in horror.

"Hey!" Kagome said in irritation. "Don't look at me like I'm blackmailing you!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Aren't you?" He asked, his eyes looking at her attentively. Then, suddenly, he smirked. "Keh, I forgot. You're not blackmailing me _yet_ but you are _planning_ to blackmail me!" Inuyasha pointed out.

"Well…" Kagome said guiltily, averting her gaze from his eyes. _"Okay, so he's got a point… I am planning to blackmail him to stay here…" _She thought.

Inuyasha smirked victoriously. "So I was right." He said smugly then stood up, still not taking his eyes away from Kagome as he waited for her response.

"Okay, so you were right!" Kagome told him. "But I've got a valid reason for blackmailing you!" She continued defensively, standing up too.

"Then let me hear it," said Inuyasha sternly, his eyes stayed fixed on Kagome's face and his arms folded in front of him.

"Fine." Kagome said, looking determinedly into Inuyasha's eyes. _"As much as possible, I mustn't resort in using the word just to make him stay…" _Kagome thought decidedly. "I want you to stay here because I'm afraid! Yeah, I know, I'm really pathetic. But can you blame me? I'm a girl that can't even remember my name or anything from my past… Even my family… I don't know any of those people in there…" She said, looking at the direction of her house gloomily. Her voice had lost its confidence and courage; it now sounded meek and frightened.

Inuyasha's face softened when he saw Kagome's sad face. _"Maybe… I should stay?"_ Inuyasha thought, unable to stand the lonely expression on Kagome's face.

Kagome looked at her house for a while, trying to remember something about it. Unfortunately, her mind couldn't remember anything yet. She sighed in defeat then said, "You're the only person I know right now so… I would really like you to stay with me. I don't know why but…" Kagome returned her gaze to Inuyasha's warm tawny eyes. "When you're beside me, I don't feel that lost…" She smiled softly.

Inuyasha's heart sighed in relief. _"Finally, she smiled." _Inuyasha thought. _"I really hate seeing her when she's sad… It makes me want to rip something apart…I guess it wouldn't hurt if I stay with her. After all, she needs me here." _The thought that Kagome needed Inuyasha made Inuyasha's heart warm and happy. He had always wanted to be there for her—never leave her again when she needed him.

"Okay, so I'm finished stating my _valid_ reason. Will you stay here now?" Kagome said, her hands hidden behind her as she looked hopefully at Inuyasha with a smile on her lips.

"Keh! Fine, I'll stay!" Inuyasha said, looking away from Kagome. He began marching back towards Kagome's house, his back turned to Kagome.

Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief. She hurriedly ran after Inuyasha to stop in front of him. "Really?" She squealed in delight, her smile was bright like the sun.

Inuyasha flashed him an irritated look and said, "Yeah, really. And because I'm staying, don't piss me off or I'm going back to the well."

Kagome pouted her lips when she saw Inuyasha's annoyed face. "Is that a threat?" She asked suspiciously.

Inuyasha scowled. "No. Now get out of my way so we can go inside your house." He said simply; his face still wore a peeved expression.

"Hey! What's with you? You really don't want to stay here, do you?" She said, noticing Inuyasha's irked face.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "I told you. I'm _staying_." He told her, emphasizing his last sentence to drill inside Kagome's head.

"Yeah, I know you already told me," said Kagome calmly. "But the way you look at me, it's like you're begging me to just throw you back to the other side of the well."

"What look are you talking about?.! And me, begging a stubborn girl like you, NO WAY!" Inuyasha said hysterically. "You're just thinking too much! I told you I'm staying! Now, let's go inside." He grabbed Kagome by the wrist and began dragging her towards her house.

"Ah!" Kagome exclaimed, pulling Inuyasha to stop pulling her.

"What?.!" Inuyasha demanded, turning around to look at Kagome.

"Don't tell me you stayed here just because you were afraid that I'd—um—say the word?.!" Kagome asked, looking very disappointed.

"Of course not!" Inuyasha snapped. _"At least it's not my main reason…"_ Inuyasha thought to himself.

"Then why are you suddenly staying then?.!" Kagome said.

_"Because I hate seeing you sad and I always want to be beside you when you need me. Because you said you feel safe when I'm around. Because I don't want you to be alone anymore—because you always get into trouble when I leave you alone. Because I want to protect you. Because you were the one who asked." _Inuyasha had several reasons to tell but none of those came out. Instead, he said, "Will you stop bugging me?.! The hell with my reasons! What matters is that I'm staying! Now shut up or I'm going to have to gag your mouth and carry you to your house!"

Kagome silenced for a moment, trying to stop herself from bursting into tremendous fits of anger. As Inuyasha glared at her, she was currently having a conversation with her mind. _"Why does he need to be so mean?.!.?.!__ He really deserves a hundred of sits! Okay, calm down… Let's just pretend that he's the type who always puts up an 'I-am-Strong-and-Heartless' front so he really doesn't mean those words. In reality, his words meant 'It's not the word. I'm staying here because I care for you and I don't want you to be alone…' Yeah, that's it." _Kagome told her mind. She took a deep breath and looked at Inuyasha. "Okay, I'll shut up now." She said, smiling cheerfully. _"Because if I don't, I'm really going to sit you!"_ Kagome's mind screamed.

Inuyasha blinked at Kagome, gaping at her in disbelief. _"What's with her just now?" _Inuyasha asked in his mind. _"Her smile's really scary… Like she wants to say, 'Be thankful that I'm controlling myself or I'm going to sit you!' She must be totally pissed off." _Surprisingly, Inuyasha knew that Kagome was faking her smile and that she was _very_ pissed off but being the jerk that he was, Inuyasha still ignored the voice inside him that told him to apologize. _"Keh!__ The hell I care if she's mad! Let her be!" _He told his conscience. "Keh! Good!" Inuyasha told Kagome, looking away from her.

Kagome clenched a fist then loosened it. She sighed mentally in defeat. _"Guess even reverse psychology doesn't work with this annoying bastard." _She thought, completely giving up and making a mental note to remind herself that Inuyasha didn't often apologize so she mustn't expect. _"In fact, when did I just hear him apologize?"_ Kagome browsed her mind for that certain _single_ instance.

**"I don't like the feeling I feel when he's near me," said Kagome, looking slightly afraid. "I don't know why but I feel terrified when he's near me." **

**"Don't worry, I won't let him near you again." Inuyasha said, pulling Kagome protectively into his arms and breathing her sweet scent. "I'm sorry Kagome." He said, hugging her tighter.**

_"As far as I can remember, Inuyasha just apologized once." _She sighed in her mind. _"I wonder, how many times Inuyasha actually apologized to me when I still had my memory…" _She pondered, looking at Inuyasha's face curiously.

The deafening silence began to get on Inuyasha's nerves. He looked sideways to check on Kagome and that very moment he glanced at her, he caught her looking at him in a questioning manner.

"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha asked rather roughly.

Kagome's eyes narrowed and murmured, "Nothing." _"Maybe he never said sorry to me before." _Kagome thought. _"Because he's really insensitive and his pride is as big as the whole world."_

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Then stop staring at me!" He turned his back and stomped away, heading towards Kagome's house.

Kagome sighed for the nth time and ran after Inuyasha.

_"At least he's staying with me." _Kagome thought and that simple thought painted a beautiful contented smile across her lips.

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Inuyasha and Kagome entered the house to find Souta waiting for them at the door.

"Neechan!" Souta cried out. "What took you so long? Mama thought you had gone back to the other world with Inuyasha-niichan!"

"I'm sorry, um, what's your name? You're my younger brother, right?" Kagome said uncertainly, looking at the little boy in front of her.

"Yes, I'm your brother, Souta." Souta replied good-naturedly.

Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry, Souta. I had to talk to Inuyasha to stay with me and he was _really_ being stubborn so it took a while." She explained, glancing at Inuyasha.

"Keh! Bitch, you're just as stubborn!" Inuyasha said rudely.

_"Jerk!"_Kagome thought, glaring at Inuyasha, who currently had his face turned away from Kagome.

"You mean Inuyasha-niichan is staying here with us tonight?.!" Souta said excitedly. "That's great!" He exclaimed then immediately ran towards the kitchen, hoping to find his mother there to tell her the news.

"Why does he need to be excited with that?.!" Inuyasha complained as he watched Souta scamper away.

"You're so mean!" Kagome scolded. "He was just happy, that's all!"

"Well, he's being _too_ happy for something so worthless," stated Inuyasha. "Really annoys me."

"Kagome?"

Kagome turned around to find her mother behind her, carrying bulky photo albums. "I thought you already went back to the other side of the well." She said, a relieved smile on her lips.

"No, Mama." Kagome said, feeling a little strange when she pronounced the word 'mama'. _"I must get used to saying that…" _Kagome noted in her mind. _"After all, she is my mother."_ She smiled kindly at her mother and her heart sighed with satisfaction when her mother returned the smile without any pretenses. "I just had a _very long_ talk with Inuyasha outside." She explained. _"Because he's an unbelievable insensitive moron."_She itched to say but decided against it because she knew that that would only cause another smart ass comment from Inuyasha—which would make her more frustrated than before. Instead, she said, "By the way, Souta was looking for you. He wanted to tell you that Inuyasha would be staying tonight."

"That's nice," replied her mother, smiling at Inuyasha. Then, she looked thoughtfully at her watch and said, "It's getting dark. I better start preparing our dinner." She turned to Kagome and smiled again. "Would you like to see your pictures in the kitchen while I prepare the dinner?" She inquired.

Kagome nodded eagerly, beaming, and added, "I'd also help you with the cooking."

"Thank you then," said her mother, moving past Kagome and straight towards the kitchen.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and said, "You coming?"

"What do you expect me to do there? Help you cook?" Inuyasha said disgustedly. "I'd just go sleep somewhere. Call me when dinner's ready." He said, turning his back to walk away.

"You won't leave me and go back there, will you?" Kagome asked, her heart beating nervously inside her chest.

Inuyasha smirked at Kagome's worried face. "You always worry too much." He said, turning his back at Kagome again and walking away.

"Then tell me you'll stay and I won't worry anymore." Kagome replied, hoping to hear him assure her that he would be staying.

But not a single reassuring word was spoken by the _hanyou_.

"Keh!" And he was gone.

_"I guess that meant 'I'm not leaving.'" _Kagome thought to reassure herself as she stared at the door where Inuyasha had disappeared. "What a jerk!" Kagome spoke to herself then turned to head to the kitchen.

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Kagome felt herself enjoying as she looked at the photo albums, all containing pictures of herself. While she flipped through the pages of the album, her mother would tell her stories to help her remember some things.

"And ever since you went through the well and met Inuyasha and your other friends there, you've been very busy and you would often be absent at school." Her mother told her.

"You must be very worried about me then. I always have to stay away from home and go somewhere else instead of studying." Kagome said, smiling apologetically at her mother. "I'm sorry about that." She closed the photo album she was looking at and went to help her mother peel some vegetables.

Her mother shook her head side to side and smiled reassuringly at Kagome. "You don't need to apologize, Kagome." She said. "I know you are happy with what you are doing so I'm also happy for you. And besides, you don't neglect your studies and I think you can manage both so it's all right. Just don't pressure yourself too much."

"Thank you, Mama." Kagome said, hugging her mother gratefully.

When they pulled apart, her mother smiled and said, "I remember, you would always get annoyed with jiichan because he would invent all sorts of illness just to make an excuse for your absences."

"He does that?" Kagome said in disbelief.

"Yes," said Mrs. Higurashi, placing all the vegetables in the cooking pot. "No matter how many times you would scold him, he'd still do it."

"Now I understand why I'd be so annoyed," said Kagome. "If that's the case, jiichan _is_ annoying."

"You better call Inuyasha now. The food will soon be ready." Her mother suggested.

"Okay."

x

Kagome stood outside the house, looking around for any sign of Inuyasha. She tried looking for Inuyasha inside the house but he wasn't there so maybe he went outside for some fresh air. "Inuyasha!" Kagome called out once more but still no answer came. _"Maybe he went back and le—no!" _Kagome pushed the thought aside quickly. _"He's just far from the house that's why he can't hear me." _She walked farther, thankful that the moon was bright that night so it wasn't difficult to see things even though it _was_ a little difficult.

"Inuyasha!" She tried again, wishing to see Inuyasha's silvery white hair. Farther and farther she went towards the direction of the well house. "Inuyasha! Where are you?" She said, feeling more and more anxious. _"He told me he'd stay. Where is he?" _Kagome thought as she continued to walk while looking around for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha!" She shouted desperately. "Please answer me!"

Still, no answer. The only sound she heard was the whistling of the soft breeze as it blew by.

_"If he really did leave me, I'm going to sit him so hard he'd wish he never left me." _Kagome thought, anger welling up in her heart. "Inuyasha! This will be the last time I'll be calling you! If you don't show up…" Kagome shouted loudly, looking around; her last piece of hope fading away slowly. She turned her back to go back already, her eyes filled with disappointment. "That means you're really gone…" She whispered sadly.

Then the bottle hanging around her neck glowed faintly.

Kagome took the small bottle in her hand and looked at it curiously. "It's glowing…" She said, looking amazed. Another soft gust of wind blew, making the leaves of the trees rustle. Kagome suddenly turned around and saw an outline of a huge tree not far from where she was standing. _"There's something about that tree…"_ Kagome thought, scanning her memory for some association with that tall tree. "Goshinboku…" She whispered, remembering the name of the tree all of a sudden. _"Somehow, I feel that tree is very special for me… why?" _She wondered, still not remembering completely. She set the thought aside for later when she remembered that she should be going back.

When Kagome turned around once more, her eyes widened in surprise while her heart began jumping in joy. "Inuyasha!" She said the _hanyou's _name happily, seeing him standing in front of her.

_"He stayed!" _Kagome shouted mentally, her eyes sparkling with joy and relief.

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A/N: Yup, and so Inuyasha stayed. Really, the two of them are so stubborn that they had to talk so long before one of them gave in. Anyway, at least Kagome had made Inuyasha stay. More of Kagome's memory will be recovered next chapter. As usual, please leave reviews and make them long! Thanks again for reading and of course, for always leaving wonderful reviews! Keep them coming, okay? Okay! I'm off!


	15. When Forgotten Memories Start to Haunt

A/N: Yay! I've got new reviewers! Welcome! Welcome to my fanfic! - I'm so happy to have you all here! Now it's time once again to thank my reviewers individually!!!

Keeper-of-the-triforce - Um, was your review just for the first chapter because it was written on chapter 1. I was wondering if you have read the rest of the chapters already… Hmm… Maybe you could review more often, ne? BTW, thanks for the review and welcome! (to my fanfic, that is… because you're new and all…')

X-with stars - You're new too! Yeah, both are stubborn to the core. Well, at least Inuyasha still stayed. ' Let's just see what happens next! Thanks too for the review and hope you'd review again!

Babiixwolf - Wow! Thanks for reading my story! I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY glad that you love it! And thanks for reviewing too! You should do that more often from now on, ne? It will motivate me more if I had more reviews… - Again, thanks!

Bight pink star - Just want to ask, the word 'bight' in your pen name, um, was that supposed to be bright or is it just me? Just asking… ' Anyway, thank you for saying you love my story! And please continue reading and reviewing too!

Miko - Hi! Here you go, I finally updated! You should have left your e-mail ad so I can e-mail you when I update. How about you leave it this time? Inuyasha wasn't that mean… he's just a jerk. - Anyway, I still like him that way… and I think Kagome does too so… um, let's just let Inuyasha be and I'm sure he'll be able to _realize _his feelings for Kagome soon.

Profanity - You're also new here! Thanks for the review and for leaving your e-mail ad! So, did you receive my e-mail? Hope you'll review again!

INUYASHaHolic - Sorry that I didn't hurry in updating. Like I said in my previous chapter, no matter how hard I try… sigh I always end up late… ' BTW, thanks for the review too!

Kara Noboru - Thanks for the review! Even though it was short, it surely flattered me. Thanks and I hope you read on… - And review too! I need lots of reviews, you know!

Kitsune Kei - Ah! So you changed your pen name! I thought you were new! Hehehe! The rhyme (sort of ' ) you did in your review was so kawaii! Thanks for always reviewing and thanks for adding my story into your fave stories! It's a great honor for my part! -

Hersheykiss1012 - Yeah, I really made it fluffy for those who love fluff. And I think this chapter will have some fluff too! Thanks for being patient and always reading my chapters! You're one of my most loyal readers! Thank you very much!

Tamakia'gss - I thought you already forgot this story but hey! You reviewed once again! Thanks for the constant reviews! They always make me happy. I think last chapter was really cute, don't you agree? I agree that they're both so friggin' stubborn but I'm glad Inuyasha finally agreed to stay! He's really a good lil doggie! -

Angela - Wow! You're still there! I also thought you were gone but you're still there!!! - Arigatou!!! Thanks for always reading my chapters and saying they're great! I always feel happy when someone says that to me! Extra sorry for you, you reviewed chapter 14 twice already, forgive me if I took sooooo damn long… -

Kinchiata - You have reviewed! I'm sorry too for the chapters that you thought were lame… well, I'm glad you still read my stuff! - Arigatou gozaimashita!!! And about them (meaning Inuyasha and Kagome—who else?) getting together… well, you got to wait a little longer since Kagome still has to recover her memory. And there's still this problem with Kikyou and other stuffs… sigh Just wait…

Inferna - You showed up again!!! -does a happy dance in front of my computer, Hikari- Yup! Hikari's the name of my computer and do you remember her here in the story??? Anyway, back to your review… Yup, he stayed! Isn't he a good lil doggie? That's why Kagome loves him so much! - Thanks for reviewing!

Shinji-Higurashi - You love Kagome too? I'm also one of her fans! - Hey don't just die yet, here's the next chappie! Thanks for reviewing! By the way, you're new here, ne?

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Disclaimer: Don't you get tired of reading this same old stuff? Anyway, I'll just type it so I won't be sued or whatsoever… Inuyasha isn't mine… well, not YET.

Again, sorry for the delay. Blame it all on my modem; it's broken so I can't connect to the internet. Oh well… Hikari—my new computer—already got a modem so I can post again! And now, here's the next chapter of Stay! - Enjoy!!!

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Chapter 15

**_When Forgotten Memories Start to Haunt_**

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Kagome walked up to Inuyasha, not taking her eyes off of him—afraid that he might suddenly disappear if she would blink her eyes. "You're here!" She voiced out the only thought that occupied her mind the moment she saw Inuyasha with joyful eyes.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Of course I'm here! Just where the hell did you think I was?!" He stood in front of Kagome with his hands tucked safely inside his _haori_ while he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Why are you here anyway?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kagome told him, her smile immediately vanished to be replaced by a thin line that suggested only one thing—irritation. "I'm looking for the annoying jerk named Inuyasha." She said; the color of her eyes became stormy brown that perfectly matched her irked mood.

"And what do you mean by that?!" Inuyasha demanded with clenched fists.

"Nothing," replied Kagome tediously, walking past Inuyasha. "Dinner's ready, by the way." She said, not bothering to look back at Inuyasha anymore.

Inuyasha immediately spun around and shouted, "Hey you! I'm still talking to you!"

_"Why is he always like that?!" _Kagome thought to herself, gritting her teeth hard. _"I was so worried and the least he could have done was to apologize for making me worry but all he did was make matters worse! He's so insensitive!!!" _She continued to walk away, ignoring all the shouting Inuyasha had been doing to get her to come back.

Inuyasha was absolutely clueless about the reason why Kagome was acting _unusual._ _"She's ignoring me and yet she won't even tell me the fucking reason why!" _Inuyasha growled inwardly as he continued to look at Kagome's retreating form. "Damn it!" He cursed softly under his breath before leaping forward to go after Kagome. He was always irritated when Kagome was ignoring him and he was _even more _irritated when he didn't know what he did wrong. Moreover, the thing that he was irritated the most when she was ignoring him was the things he always end up doing—like the thing he was about to do. Inuyasha was now walking beside her, still annoyed that she was ignoring him _and_ more annoyed now because he was the one who would have to start the conversation. "Hey Kagome! Why the hell are you ignoring me?!" He growled, looking at the girl beside him.

But just as Inuyasha was determined to know the answer, Kagome was also as determined to ignore him.

"Answer me, dammit!" Inuyasha muttered frantically, pulling Kagome's arm that made her stop in her tracks and face him.

The night breeze blew softly, playing with Inuyasha's silvery white tresses and Kagome's raven black locks while it made the trees sigh as its leaves danced to the silent rhythm it started.

Kagome still remained silent as she stood in front of Inuyasha. Her head was bowed down; her bangs covered her eyes completely from Inuyasha's view.

"Kagome, say something, will you?!" said Inuyasha, unable to bear the silence that was surrounding them.

The deafening silence from Kagome remained but Inuyasha wasn't going to let Kagome win. If she was determined to ignore him, too bad for her because he was _more _determined to make her talk. "Kago—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered Inuyasha's name, interrupting his words.

_"Finally."_ Inuyasha sighed in his mind after hearing Kagome's voice. He looked down at her and asked, "What?"

She raised her head to meet Inuyasha's eyes and said bluntly, "Let go of my arm."

Inuyasha didn't know what exactly he saw in Kagome's eyes the moment he stared at them but he immediately released his grip on Kagome's arm without any objection. Whatever that thing was, it was scary and Inuyasha knew that he better not mess with it or he'd be getting another big sit—no, not just sit—it would be a terrible _series_ of sits. Inuyasha just froze in his position, staring at her figure nervously without saying a word or creating any sound. Even though the night was cool, Inuyasha felt beads of sweat rolling on the side of his face but he didn't make any gesture to wipe the sweat off—he would be committing suicide if he dared to move that very moment. The least he could do now was hope that she wouldn't get any worse where she would go shouting like all the gates of hell would be opening to swallow him up. _"WHAT THE HELL DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?!?!?!" _Inuyasha shouted in his mind.

Kagome's eyes continued to look at him with the same expression she had since she told Inuyasha to free her arm. Her expression wasn't simply angry; if it were just anger in her eyes, Inuyasha wouldn't have had this reaction. It was more than just anger—it was so much more. Kagome was definitely terrifying at times like this. Even though, she wasn't speaking a single word, her eyes were more than enough to make someone feel fear.

Inuyasha felt himself relaxing a bit when he saw the warmth in Kagome's brown eyes slowly returning. _"Maybe I can talk now?" _He wondered, still uncertain about the idea of uttering a sound in front of Kagome.

Then suddenly, the _miko_ in front of him gave out a sigh like she had been holding her breath for so long—who knew, maybe she had been holding it. "Don't talk to me." She said calmly, turning her back to Inuyasha.

"Just what the hell did I do?!" Inuyasha asked, glaring a little at Kagome.

Kagome whirled around quickly to face Inuyasha once more and shot another fatal glare straight to his confused golden eyes. "I said don't speak to me! Can't you see that I'm angry with you?!" She said through gritted teeth; her eyes seemed to be burning in fire as she continued to look at Inuyasha while her fists that stayed in her sides shook in fury.

"Will you just tell me the fucking reason why you're angry with me?" Inuyasha retorted, getting more and more furious with the situation he was getting at. First, he was _forced _to stay in this time and now Kagome was mad at him—again. Plus, the worse part of that was he didn't even know what he did wrong this time that made her so angry.

Kagome bit her tongue to stop herself from exploding completely. _"He doesn't even know what he did wrong!?!?!? Is he really that insensitive?!?!" _Kagome thought, looking really pissed off with Inuyasha's insensitiveness. _"Fine! He wants the reason, he'll get the reason!" _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, stringing words together carefully. "Where have you been?" Kagome asked, opening her eyes once again to look at Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked taken aback at Kagome's words and was more shocked at the way she spoke them—she wasn't glaring at him and her voice didn't sound angry at all. "Where did that come from?" The _hanyou _asked, raising an eyebrow.

_"Really now, he's sooooo clueless." _She thought, sighing mentally. "I was asking where had you been because I couldn't find you anywhere. You never answered when I called for you and… I was worried—_very much_." She said, looking at Inuyasha's eyes to see his reaction. Was it just her or did Inuyasha's eyes look guilty right now? She blinked her eyes then looked at him once more. The guilt she _thought_ she had seen in those amber eyes was gone. _"Maybe… it was just my imagination?" _She thought, feeling her heart sink in despair.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, looking away from Kagome's gaze. The way her eyes looked at him made him feel guilty… _somehow_. But she did not need to know about that anymore. "You always worry about useless things." He muttered arrogantly. "What the hell are you worried about?! It's not like there are _youkais _here—and even if there were, you absolutely know that I could easily defend myself, don't you?" Even though he said those words, he knew perfectly well why Kagome was worried. She thought he left her. _"But I already told her I was staying! How many fucking times does she want me to repeat myself?!" _Inuyasha thought, trying to defend himself from his conscience.

"It's not that, stupid!" Kagome replied; her thought was now proven. It was just her imagination. He wasn't even a bit guilty. _"Because if he was guilty, he would know why she was worried. But NO, HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT TOO! Stupid Inuyasha!" _Kagome thought. "I was worried because I thought you left me." She said; her eyes flickered with sadness.

Inuyasha stayed silent for a while. _"I knew it. She was really worried about that…" _Inuyasha thought, observing Kagome quietly from the corner of his eye.

"Why do you always have to make me worry?" She said the words softly with her head bowed down, like she didn't want Inuyasha to hear them but clearly, Inuyasha would hear them since he was gifted with sharp ears.

"I didn't tell you to worry for me." Inuyasha said faintly, still not looking at the upset _miko _standing in front of him.

Kagome was surprised to hear Inuyasha answer but she was more surprised to herself when she replied calmly. "I know… but still I can't help but worry." She said; her head was still lowered up until now, her eyes shaded by her bangs.

"But I told you I'm staying, didn't I?" Inuyasha pointed out, finally fixing his gaze at Kagome, who still hid her face from Inuyasha's eyes.

"Well, yeah, you did tell me…" Kagome whispered; her voice had lost its intensity. _"But you still make me worry…" _She thought at the back of her head. Kagome sighed softly, hinting her weariness from fighting with Inuyasha. "I guess I really just worry too much…" She said, trying to end up the conversation. "Let's go back, Mama must be waiting for us." At last, she raised her head to look up at Inuyasha and waited for his response.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's eyes for a while, trying to see her emotions through them. Then he hesitantly nodded. _"She must be tired of this conversation too," _thought Inuyasha; his eyes still transfixed in Kagome's eyes to make sure she was okay. And the answer he got? He got three. First, this conversation wasn't over yet. Second, she was still thinking about it and lastly and most importantly, she was definitely _not_ okay.

Kagome walked silently beside Inuyasha, not daring to even glance at the _hanyou _next to her. She sighed inwardly and thought, _"Maybe I'll just have to forget this. What else can I do, right?" _She mentally slapped herself when she realized what she had been expecting ever since she started this conversation with Inuyasha—an apology. An apology for making her worry so much. _"I repeat, don't expect apologies from Inuyasha. He only does that when—um," _She paused to think of an instance where Inuyasha would apologize. Luckily she got a reasonable one. _"When he's not himself." _She finished, sighing—this time—noticeably.

Inuyasha glanced at his left, clearly catching the sound Kagome made. "You're still angry, aren't you?" He asked while he continued to walk; his hands were again hidden in the wide sleeves of his red coat.

Kagome turned her head a bit to take a glimpse at Inuyasha's face. A small smile crept on her lips when she found Inuyasha's eyes averted from her, looking uncomfortable with their present condition. "Not really." She replied honestly. _"He is also bothered by this…"_ Unexpectedly, the thought that Inuyasha also cared _in some way_ seemed to lessen her anger if not vanish completely. _"He is bothered yet…" _She frowned a little when she remembered something. _"Yet he still won't say sorry…"_

_"Shit." _The _hanyou _cursed in his mind upon seeing Kagome's lips curved into a frown."But you're upset." He stated it as a statement rather than a question, his eyes watching her features intently. It was clearly written on her face and knowing that fact made him more uncomfortable.

Kagome stopped walking to look at Inuyasha for a while, startled by his words. _"I guess he isn't that insensitive after all…" _She thought. "Don't worry, I'll be fine some time later…" She said, trying to reassure Inuyasha with a small smile. _"Perhaps by then, I'll be able to forget."_

But Inuyasha wasn't reassured. Neither Kagome's words nor her smile reassured him. She was _still _upset and that was _really _annoying. _"Can't you be fine NOW?!" _The sentence ran through his mind continuously, waiting to be voiced out. Seriously, Inuyasha wanted to say that to her but he only left that sentence drifting in his mind. Surely if he said something so demanding to Kagome at this moment, she might burst into tears or she might get angrier with him. He'd rather not take the risk. Both consequences would not make their situation more bearable.

But then again, 'some time later' was _too_ long for Inuyasha and he wasn't willing to wait _that_ long. He wanted their conversation forgotten but more importantly, he wanted Kagome to be fine—_now_. And his conscience was now speaking louder than usual and this time, he couldn't make it shut up; it was making sure that he would be guilty enough to say sorry. _"Why do I always end up doing stupid things when Kagome and I fight?" _He grumbled mentally, never liking the idea of saying sorry to Kagome. Was he really _that_ _desperate_ to fix their problem that he was willing to say the dreadful 's' word? The answer shocked Inuyasha to the bones. _"I'm feeling really pathetic right now." _He thought, taking a deep breath. "If I say sorry, will you be fine _now_?" He asked in a low voice; his eyes were safely turned away from Kagome.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Inuyasha's words. _"I can't believe this. He actually wants to apologize?!" _Kagome thought, looking at Inuyasha in disbelief. "Are you serious about that?" She asked just to make sure.

"Keh! Do you think I'd say something like that if I weren't serious?!" He said disdainfully, narrowing his eyes at Kagome.

_"I'll take that as a yes then." _Kagome thought, getting used at translating Inuyasha's rude language. She looked at Inuyasha for a while before she finally decided to say something. "I'm fine now." She said, giving out a warm smile at him.

The _hanyou's _heart relaxed a bit as he mentally sighed in relief. This time, her smile reassured him—like it always did. But she did not need to know about that… "Great!" He exclaimed, smirking arrogantly. "No need for me to apologize then." He looked away from Kagome to dodge her glares—just in case she'd be sending some towards him for saying something like that.

Unfortunately, Kagome wasn't glaring at him. Her smile remained unaltered and the warmth in her eyes had fully returned. _"He really hates apologizing that much…" _She noted in her mind. _"But he would still do it for me." _The thought melted away the remaining anger in her heart. "Don't bother apologizing anymore. That's all right." She said brightly. _"It's enough for me that you wanted to apologize…" _She thought happily.

"I really don't get you." Inuyasha stated, looking at Kagome with narrowed eyes. _"Well, at least I ended our fight without saying sorry." _He thought, looking at the brighter side of the ending they had come up with. He was snapped out of his thoughts when a hand suddenly grabbed his hand and began dragging him. "Bitch, why the hell are you pulling me?" He asked, looking at Kagome with a peeved expression on his face.

"We need to hurry because they are waiting for us." The _miko _explained as she walked even faster, still pulling the _hanyou_ with her.

"It's not like we told them to wait for us," bickered Inuyasha.

"It still wouldn't change the fact that they _are waiting_ for us." Kagome said with a lot of patience. Now where did she get that patience when it came to Inuyasha? _"Maybe it comes naturally when you have to deal with a hanyou like him." _She thought, not really caring about the answer. "So can we just hurry?" She added, looking back at Inuyasha.

"Whatever." Inuyasha muttered, rolling his eyes at Kagome.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome replied with a smile, translating Inuyasha's words once again. _"Strange," _thought Kagome. _"No matter how annoying, insensitive, violent and rude Inuyasha is… I never really disliked him. Maybe I'm not acting normal already? Up to now, it's a puzzle for me… why I have endured to stay with him up until now—with him being a jerk and all… why?" _Again, she searched her mind for any memory that would resolve her questions but still, they remained unanswered.

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Kagome opened her eyes once again and shifted her position on her bed. Shortly after Inuyasha and she had finished having dinner with Kagome's family, her mother insisted that she should sleep already to be able to rest her mind. Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep. She altered her sleeping position once more, this time lying on her side to look around her room. It wasn't that hard to see things since she left her lampshade open to have a little light in her room; she wasn't that comfortable when it was completely dark. Then her eyes went to where Inuyasha was sitting; a soft smile tugged on Kagome's lips when she saw the _hanyou _asleep, his back leaned on the wall while his Tetsusaiga rested safely beside him.

Minutes passed by swiftly but Kagome didn't actually notice that she had been staring at Inuyasha for quite a while. It seemed like time had stopped running when she had fixed her eyes on the sleeping _hanyou_. Everything was silent around her and she felt at peace and contented; she didn't mind having to stay awake all night as she watched Inuyasha. Not at all. _"He looks very calm when he's asleep…"_ She noted in her mind; her eyes stayed fixed on Inuyasha's sleeping face. _"This is the first time I have seen him sleeping… or maybe not…" _A sudden picture of Inuyasha's sleeping face flashed in her mind. Then the picture widened to show that Inuyasha was pinned on a tree with a single arrow. _"That tree!" _Kagome thought, remembering the huge tree she saw outside her house when she was looking for Inuyasha. _"That tree was the same tree Inuyasha was pinned down!" _She looked at Inuyasha's sleeping form with a confused expression on her face. _"Why am I suddenly seeing a picture of Inuyasha pinned down on that tree? Is it a premonition or is it part of my memory? Maybe I can ask Inuyash—"_ A sudden rush of pain filled Kagome's head as pictures began to flash in her mind. The pain in her head grew more and more as the pictures flashed faster and faster. She could see lots of people in the pictures. Some of them were familiar to her but some were unknown to her. She shut her eyes tighter, trying to stop herself from seeing more pictures. "Stop it… already… I can't…" She couldn't say the words clearly with her head spinning terribly, giving her an appalling headache. "The pain… stop it… please…"

Inuyasha's ears jerked in alarm when he detected a small voice speaking. He quickly snapped his eyes open to find Kagome curled up on her bed, whimpering in pain. Acting immediately, the _hanyou_ left his resting place and went to Kagome's side, trying to find out what was wrong with her. "Kagome! What's wrong with you? Tell me!" He said frantically, looking quite worried as Kagome continued to cry in pain.

Kagome still had her eyes shut but thankfully, she had heard Inuyasha's voice clearly. "My head… Inuyasha… it's painful… I can't… I can't take the pain… please… make it stop… it's too much…" She whispered every word with hardship, panting heavily as she clutched her head in hopes that the pain would lessen.

Inuyasha clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth hard. There was nothing he could do to help Kagome and he knew it. "Kagome…" He could only say her name as he continued to watch her shifting continuously on her bed; it made Inuyasha angry with himself to see her suffering greatly. _"Damn it…Kagome's in pain and I can't do anything but watch her. Damn it…" _Inuyasha thought, looking annoyed with the situation. Should he call for help? But that meant that he had to leave Kagome. He wasn't so sure that would be a good idea. His flow of thoughts was interrupted when he saw Kagome move.

"Inu…yasha…" She managed to say while still struggling to maintain her balance as she tried to sit up.

"Stupid! What the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha said, hurriedly sitting on the side of Kagome's bed to help Kagome sit up.

Another flood of pain attacked Kagome's head, making her clasp her head with both hands again. "It won't… stop… the pictures… they keep on… flashing… inside… my head…." Kagome said while gasping for air.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome worriedly, his arms around her for support. _"I can't take this anymore!" _He thought, removing his arms around Kagome gently. "Just stay there for a while Kagome, I'm going to get some help." He quickly stood up for the door but Kagome quickly called out for him.

"Don't go…" Kagome said weakly, opening her eyes slightly to look at Inuyasha. She reached out her hand to grab his red sleeve; her face looked very pained and worn out. "Don't leave… me… okay?" A split second after she said that, she fainted.

Kagome would have landed on the floor but luckily, Inuyasha was fast enough to catch her before she did. Giving out a sigh of relief, he carefully laid Kagome back on her bed to make her rest. _"No, I can't leave her… even just for a while, I shouldn't leave Kagome."_ He thought, looking down at the _miko's_ resting figure. He crouched beside Kagome's bed; his eyes settled on Kagome's face. Her face was now calm; the hint of her suffering vanished mysteriously. _"Kagome said something about pictures… does that mean that her memory is returning?" _The _hanyou_ thought with a bit of luck. _"But if that's the case… why does she still have to suffer in the process?" _A growl escaped from Inuyasha's mouth as he continued to look at the sleeping _miko_. He was annoyed—very annoyed. Why couldn't he protect Kagome from suffering so much? She always had to face lots of trouble when she was with him and he couldn't even protect her properly. Why couldn't it be just him instead of her that needed to feel pain? Why must it be her? _"I never wanted this for Kagome… never." _Inuyasha thought, feeling responsible for all the hardships Kagome was having. _"Forgive me, Kagome. If it wasn't for me… you wouldn't be like this."_

Kagome cringed her eyes then opened them slowly to find herself staring at the ceiling. _"What happened?" _She turned her head and found Inuyasha crouched beside her bed, looking at her. "Inuyasha…" She said feebly.

"Kagome, how do you feel?" Inuyasha asked her worriedly.

"I'm all right now." Kagome answered softly. "The pain's gone." She added.

"Are you sure?" He asked, still not completely convinced.

"Yeah, so don't worry anymore, okay?" She said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"Fine!" Inuyasha scowled, trying to convey a message to Kagome. A message that said 'I wasn't fucking worried, wench!'

Amazingly, Kagome got the message but she just smiled at him in return. Her smile read 'You were worried, stupid.' Did Inuyasha get the message as well? Kagome didn't know anymore because he had looked away. "Inuyasha, can I ask you about something?" She asked, remembering some of the pictures she had seen in her head.

"About what?"

"About the pictures I saw in my head—"

"Don't force yourself too much to try and remember everything." Inuyasha interrupted, looking back at Kagome.

"Who said I was forcing myself? They just came out suddenly!" Kagome reasoned out.

"Go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow." He said, turning his back to Kagome and keeping his arms inside his _haori_.

"O-Okay." She answered hesitantly. _"But can't I ask now?" _She thought impatiently, looking at Inuyasha's back. A few minutes passed and she knew it was already hopeless. Or maybe she should give it another try… "Um, Inuyasha?" She said, still looking at the _hanyou's_ back.

"Tomorrow, wench."

Kagome sighed in defeat. _"Great, he started calling me wench again."_ She thought, changing her position so she was now facing the ceiling. It was really useless to talk to him and Kagome knew it. Once Inuyasha had his say, it was final. _"He's so bossy." _She thought, closing her eyes to let sleep take her away.

But sleep didn't come. Kagome had counted all sorts of stuff, from the basic white sheep to annoying white-haired _hanyous _but none seemed to work. She wasn't even a bit sleepy. She turned to lie on her side and looked at the silvery white-haired _hanyou_ resting beside her bed. Tentatively, she raised her hand and tapped Inuyasha lightly on his right shoulder. "Inuyasha?"

The answer came quickly. "What? Aren't you sleeping yet?!" He said gruffly.

"I can't sleep." Kagome replied in a small voice.

"Just close your eyes and fucking sleep." Kagome heard Inuyasha say in his usual rude manner.

Pretending that she didn't hear what Inuyasha had said, she removed the blanket covering her and left her bed. "Did I disturb your sleep?" She asked apologetically, looking at Inuyasha while she sat beside him.

"I wasn't sleeping, stupid!" He answered back irritably, taking a glance at Kagome.

"You can't sleep too?"

"No, I just don't want to sleep."

"Why?"

"Because…" Inuyasha started, looking into Kagome's brown eyes. _"I'm worried about you."_ That was the main reason but those weren't the words that came out from Inuyasha's mouth. Instead, he said, "Because I fucking don't want to sleep." He turned his eyes away from hers and added, "Now go to sleep."

"I told you I couldn't sleep." Kagome said patiently.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scowled. "Ever since you lost your memory, you always can't sleep when you ought to be sleeping." He complained.

"Maybe it happens to all those who lost their memories." Kagome said, shrugging at Inuyasha. She didn't really care much about her sleeplessness because she thought it was just normal to happen once in a while to every person. She would rather have that than lose her memory...

"Stupid, it's just you!" He answered back, looking at Kagome petulantly. For a second, Inuyasha thought he saw Kagome's eyes spark with irritation but when he tried to get a better look into her eyes, she had averted her gaze into the other side of the room. He quickly locked the thought in the part of his mind that was labeled 'trash' and reminded himself not to be paranoid again around Kagome.

Kagome sighed gratefully when Inuyasha didn't comment on her sudden silence. She could sense another meaningless quarrel between them was starting to develop so she thought it was best to shut up to cut their conversation. She really didn't want to have another petty fight with Inuyasha—mainly because it was hard to get an apology from Inuyasha and it was also tiring for her part to always give in and always be the one to say sorry instead of him.

Since Kagome didn't want to speak and Inuyasha's pride was also stopping him from starting the talk, silence grew between them. An _awkward _silence.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome sideways but her eyes were still avoiding him. He could feel the thought he locked a while ago surfacing again along with guilt. Next, he began to doubt that he was just being paranoid; the feeling that Kagome was mad at him was stronger now. His hunch was getting more and more disturbing when Kagome started showing the 'signs': she was quiet all of a sudden, she wouldn't look at him AND she was about to leave. _"WHAT?!" _Inuyasha exclaimed in his mind, hearing Kagome stand up. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and was taken aback when he found her eyes looking straight at him. His heart was beating tensely as Kagome kept her gaze a little longer without saying a word to him.

_"No, I'll just bother him…" _Kagome thought, finally making up her mind. She turned her back to Inuyasha then walked towards the door, not saying a single word to the puzzled dog _hanyou_. When she had opened the door, she clicked the light switch of her room open and paused for a while to look back at Inuyasha, who was still staring at her with a befuddled expression. "Stay here, I'll be right back." She told him quickly before slipping through the door and shutting it behind her with a soft click.

"What the hell was that all about?" Inuyasha muttered, still gaping at the door. "Why did she just fucking leave me here?!" He stood up abruptly and began walking across the room irritably; his hands tucked within the long sleeves of his red coat. As he continued to walk to and fro, he would often pause in front of the door to glare at it and would also mutter something that related Kagome to the words 'bitch' and 'annoying'. Many times already, Inuyasha thought of going outside to _demand_—not just simply ask—an explanation from Kagome but whenever he was about to approach the door, he would always remember Kagome's words before she left the room. _"Damn it! Who does she think she is to make me stay here?!" _He thought crabbily, growling softly when he realized that Kagome was treating _him_ like a _pet dog_. _"AND WHY THE HELL IS SHE ANGRY WITH ME THIS TIME?!?!"_ Impatience got the better part of Inuyasha so he stomped determinedly to the door and grabbed the doorknob. It was time to talk to Kagome—no more buts. _"Keh! I'm not her pet dog that she can order around!" _He thought repulsively and wrenched the door open. He heard a startled gasp and saw wide brown eyes staring at him. "Kagome!?" His eyes widened in surprise to see the _miko_ standing in front of him.

"Inuyasha…?" She said hesitantly, also looking flabbergasted like the silver-haired _hanyou_. "You scared me!" She closed her eyes and heaved out a sigh of relief.

"Keh! You're so—" He paused when he realized what he was about to do. The usual stuff, of course—insult her. And with the situation they were having right now—or he _thought _they were having, he knew it was best not to add up to her building anger—if there was any.

"Hm?" Kagome looked at him curiously when he didn't carry on with his words anymore.

"Nothing." Inuyasha muttered, looking away from Kagome. "_Just apologize to her while she's still not that angry!_"Again, his conscience started to meddle with his thoughts._ "Why will I apologize when I don't even know what I fucking did wrong?!" _He retorted in his mind. "_Then ask her!" _It simply replied. _"Like I could just simply ask her." _He told his conscience. "_Of course you could!" _It answered. _"Are you crazy?! I'll look like a complete idiot! Just shut the hell up!" _Inuyasha argued back. "_Stupid! You already ARE an idiot!" _His conscience pointed out. _"I said shut up!!!! Why does everyone always think that it's my fault?!" _He remembered the instances—not just a single instance—when people around him would insist that he should go and apologize to Kagome. However, most of the time—no matter how much they insisted to Inuyasha, he never gave in. And even with his conscience—no! He still _wouldn't_ give in.

While Inuyasha was having a hard time debating with his conscience, Kagome was staring at his face with a confused look on her own face. _"Inuyasha suddenly shut up…?" _She thought incredulously. _"What happened to him?" _She mused, trying to find the reason why he was suddenly speechless. "Um, Inuyasha?" She called his name to catch his attention.

Upon hearing Kagome say his name, Inuyasha quickly collected his present thoughts and threw them all inside his mental closet—this time locking them more firmly. "What?" He said dully, looking at Kagome with narrowed eyes.

"Were you going somewhere?" She asked curiously; her eyes trailed down to Inuyasha's hand, which was still grasping the doorknob.

He quickly yanked his hand from the handle and immediately said, "Of course not!" Not fully assured that his face wouldn't betray him, he spun around to hide his flushing face from Kagome. He could feel his whole face burning in embarrassment while cursing the damn doorknob in his mind.

"Oh… so you weren't going out…" Kagome said, looking amused as her lips secretly formed into a smile. Obviously, Inuyasha was lying. Why would he be opening the door if he wouldn't be going out? And when she asked him, did she just see Inuyasha blushing? Probably just her imagination, but still... the thought that Inuyasha _was_ blushing, made her smile wider.

"I told you I WASN'T GOING OUT!" The hot-tempered _hanyou_ repeated, still not daring to look at Kagome since he could still feel his cheeks glowing a perfect hue of red. At this rate, he wanted terribly to rip the blasted doorknob into shreds. _"But Kagome always tells me never to ruin things in her house." _He reminded himself. He walked towards Kagome's bed and sat on the floor, leaning his back on the side of Kagome's bed. _"She'd surely sit me if I ripped the damn doorknob."_ He crossed his arms stubbornly in front of him and sulked to prevent himself from shredding the annoying article.

Kagome's smile didn't leave her lips as she slowly walked to Inuyasha, balancing the tray she held in her hands. "Is that so? I thought you were going out to look for me." She said nonchalantly, putting the tray down carefully in front of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha ignored the tray that was before him; he was more concerned in answering Kagome's statement. "G-going out to look for you?!" He stammered, the color on his cheeks brightening again. "Why the hell will I do that?!" He said defensively.

"I don't know…" She shrugged, also settling down on the floor opposite Inuyasha. "Maybe you were worried or something." She took one of the cups on the tray and handed it to Inuyasha. "Here." She said, also giving Inuyasha a set of chopsticks.

"I wasn't fucking worried!" He quickly answered back, not yet taking notice of the object Kagome had given him. He only noticed that he was _actually _holding something when he felt the warm temperature on his hand. The _hanyou _looked down at the warm container he was holding for a moment then said, "Ramen…?"

"Yeah." Kagome said, unable to understand why Inuyasha was gaping at the cup of ramen like he didn't know what it was for. "You like eating ramen, right? So I thought of getting you a cup for your midnight snack." She explained, getting the other cup of noodles from the tray for herself.

"Bitch, you mean you went out to get… food?" He asked slowly, narrowing his eyes at Kagome.

"Um, yes…" She answered tentatively, looking nervously at Inuyasha. "…why?"

_"She fucking made me wor—I mean left me to get food!?" _Inuyasha thought, feeling annoyed while he tried in vain to convince himself that he wasn't really worried about the raven-haired girl. He stole a glance at Kagome and noticed that she was still waiting for his answer. "Keh! I don't like this anymore!" He said as he looked away, not wanting the course their conversation was going to.

Kagome sighed in surrender, once again going along with Inuyasha's childishness. _"He loves to leave conversations hanging in midair," _thought Kagome, sighing again in her mind. She opened the lid of her noodles and started to eat quietly.

Time to time, Kagome would look up from her cup of ramen to take a glimpse of Inuyasha. As expected, he was very occupied with his food that he didn't even sense the _miko's_ occasional glances at him. _"He really loves ramen that much…" _She observed, finishing up the rest of her food. After placing her empty cup on the tray, her eyes suddenly focused at Inuyasha to watch him silently. She didn't know why but her eyes always found Inuyasha to be the most comfortable sight to view. _"No, it's just because he's the only moving thing your eyes can spot." _She thought to herself. _"Pathetic excuse—very pathetic."_

Unexpectedly, Inuyasha became aware of Kagome's eyes observing him quietly. _"Does she expect me to thank her for the ramen?" _He wondered, taking a quick peek at Kagome only to find his cheeks starting to turn red again. _"Keh! Well, I didn't tell her to get me one!" _He reasoned out in his mind, making sure his eyes were averted from her gaze.

_"I wonder if he's mad at me…" _The young girl pondered, noticing that _hanyou's_ eyes were avoiding hers.

_"No, I'm not going to thank her." _The _hanyou_ thought to himself stubbornly.

"Inuyasha,"

"What?" _"I still won't say thank you."_

"I'm sorry." _"Did I just apologize?! What am I doing?!?!?!"_

"Huh?" Inuyasha managed to say, turning his face to look at Kagome in disbelief. _"Why is she suddenly saying sorry?" _He marveled. "…for what?" He asked curiously, unable to grasp the exact reason why Kagome was apologizing to him.

"I don't know exactly… It just suddenly came out," answered Kagome truthfully, biting her lower lip.

"You're saying sorry for some uncertain reason?!" Inuyasha said, looking pissed off. "Now you're acting different from Kagome."

"Eh? You mean I mustn't apologize?" Kagome asked in return.

"If you think there's nothing wrong, then you shouldn't say sorry. Kagome doesn't say sorry when she knows everything's all right." The _hanyou _explained, finally putting his empty cup on the tray beside Kagome's container.

"Well, I don't feel like everything's all right. Maybe because you are mad at me or something…" She suggested.

"Who said I was mad at you?!" Inuyasha bickered; his eyes still had that cheesed off expression in them. "You're the one who's mad at me!" He pointed an accusing finger at the young _miko_.

"Me?" Kagome gasped in shock. "Why would I be mad at you?" _"Wow! This is definitely a once in a life time moment! I can't find a reason to be angry with Inuyasha!" _She thought in astonishment.

"You mean you're not mad at me?" He asked, his eyes looking quite surprised.

"I told you I'm not mad," repeated Kagome gently, pausing for a few seconds before adding, "Guess we're just too paranoid." She smiled at Inuyasha before picking up the tray on the floor and standing up to place it on top of her table. _"I'll just bring them down tomorrow, I don't feel like going downstairs anymore." _She thought, finally feeling sleepy.

Inuyasha was currently mentally killing his conscience for nagging him with pesky thoughts. _"Damn conscience! Making me think that Kagome was mad at me!" _He thought irritably. He was brought back to reality when he felt Kagome sit on her bed. He looked at Kagome sideways and said, "Since you don't feel like sleeping yet, why don't we talk about the pictures you saw a while ago?"

Kagome looked startled at Inuyasha's words for a second before replying. "The pictures?" She paused, trying to recover some of the pictures she remembered a while ago. A minute later, she sighed and said, "I can't remember any of them clearly anymore." She crossed her arms in front of her and pouted. "That's why I told you I must have asked them a while ago when I still remembered some of them!"

"You didn't tell me you'd forget them if you wouldn't ask about them immediately!" Inuyasha pointed out, looking at the girl grouchily. "I was just worried that you were pushing yourself too hard!" He added defensively.

"You were worried…?" Kagome whispered in shock, looking at Inuyasha with wide chocolate brown eyes. _"This is actually the first time Inuyasha actually admitted that he IS worried about me… well, ever since I lost memory that is." _She thought, her cheeks warming up.

"Of course I was worried!" Inuyasha stated straightforwardly, his eyes looking sincerely into hers. "Just seeing you lying there as you whimper in pain, who wouldn't be worried?!"

_"He was really worried…"_ She thought, feeling her heart beating joyfully at the idea. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She looked down at Inuyasha, smiling gratefully at the _hanyou_.

Those smiles were one of the things that Inuyasha loved so much about Kagome. He liked seeing her smiles—especially if she was smiling _because_ _of him_. It always gave him a wonderful feeling… _"Maybe happiness…?" _He thought, saying the closest emotion to the feeling he felt. Andhe would always scoff at Kagome because she would always be happy about small things… _"Guess I'm spending too much time around her…"_ Of course, he didn't let Kagome get a hint of any of his present thoughts. He always told himself that she didn't need to know about that anymore. And he always had his ways of hiding his real emotions. This time was no exemption. "Keh! Anyway, you still forgot the pictures so I guess all we can do now is sleep..." He grumbled, looking away from her in case his eyes reflected his true feelings. He stood up and returned to his previous resting place, the empty space beside Kagome's small dressing table.

"Okay, we'll just sleep then," said Kagome obediently, standing up to turn off the light she had opened a while ago. _"I'll just leave that one open." _She thought, looking at the lampshade beside her bed before lying down on her own bed. She stared at the ceiling for a while, not yet closing her eyes. All of a sudden, sleep had gone some place again and she was once again—wide-awake. Or maybe there was something else that was keeping her awake… A thought perhaps? _"That's right," _thought Kagome, hearing the words clearly now at the back of her mind. "Inuyasha?" She called out, lying on her side to face the dog _hanyou_.

"What now?" He griped, staring curiously at Kagome. "Don't tell me you can't sleep yet?!"

"It's not that!" The _miko _objected, looking at Inuyasha in frustration for not taking the subject at hand seriously. "I remembered something!"

"One of the pictures?" Inuyasha asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously?" Kagome asked him, glaring a little at him.

"I _am_ taking this seriously, wench!" Inuyasha replied promptly, growling at her.

"Then take it _more_ seriously." She ordered, pointing at Inuyasha demandingly.

"So just what exactly did you remember?" He inquired, returning to the real topic to be discussed.

"It's not one of the pictures… it's just a few words but I think they're really important…" Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, fumbling for the words she had heard clearly a few minutes ago in her head.

"Can't remember them anymore?" asked Inuyasha after a few minutes' silence.

"Inuyasha, I got it." Kagome said intently; her eyes still remained shut. "I remember the words now."

"Then say it already!" He exclaimed impatiently. "You're taking so long just to recall a few words!"

Kagome glowered at Inuyasha for a bit then sighed, averting her eyes from Inuyasha. She returned her eyes once more at the _hanyou_—this time seriously—and spoke the words gently, "Inuyasha, answer one thing for me… Can I stay with you?"

"Eh…" Inuyasha gasped in surprise upon hearing the words Kagome had spoken. "Did you just…?" His voice trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question in his mind. All he did was look at her hopefully, hoping that it could say what words failed to convey. _"Kagome, will you stay with me—in spite of everything?"_

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha curiously, not understanding the look Inuyasha was giving her. "Um, did I say that to you before?" She asked, wishing that she would be able to get something that could help her recall more of her memory.

Inuyasha nodded slowly, tearing his eye contact from her. He was beginning to get nervous with the flow their conversation was getting at. He was beginning to fear the answer that he might hear at the end of this conversation. _"Sorry, Inuyasha. I don't want to stay anymore…" _Just the thought of those words stung Inuyasha's heart terribly, what more if he would hear those exact words from Kagome?He'd probably wish he could wrench his heart out so he wouldn't need to feel the excruciating pain. _"But what if I could save Kagome from suffering further if she doesn't stay with me anymore? What will I choose?" _Inuyasha was so lost; why was life so full of difficult choices?

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha heard Kagome's concerned voice ask.

"Yeah." He replied at once, not wanting to let Kagome know what he was thinking.

_"You don't look okay." _She wanted to say but she thought that Inuyasha might not want to discuss whatever it was that was bugging him at the moment. "Okay then…" She said instead. "Can I ask why I said those words to you before?" _"Perhaps we should just get back to the subject at hand…"_ She thought, waiting for Inuyasha's answer.

"Because we got into another fight." He replied, making sure that he chose the words he used carefully. Words that would not give much but would be enough to make her remember—on her on way and pace. _"I can't just make her remember everything in one night… what's more, I don't think I want to hear her answer to the question she still hadn't answered before." _Inuyasha thought, remembering how annoyed he was at Kagome when she didn't answer him although a part of him was also relieved that she didn't reply. _"Maybe, I'll hear her answer next time…"_

"Another fight?" She repeated curiously. "About what?"

"Uhm…" Inuyasha was currently having a hard time stringing words together that wouldn't involve Kikyou's name. s"We-we fought because I told you—well, not exactly tell you—you learned that you couldn't stay with me anymore so you came back here in your time. But after you thought things over, in the end you still came back to me and then you said many things together with that and—and it's really complicated." _"Geez, I'm really bad at this! Did I make any sense?" _He looked at Kagome's face and saw confusion clearly etched in her features. _"Probably not much."_

"Complicated?"

"I think you'd understand more when your memory comes back." Inuyasha replied hastily before Kagome could ask another question. He really wanted to end this conversation—now.

"I guess… you're right." She finally agreed, shifting on her bed so she faced the ceiling once more.

Inuyasha's heart was flooded with relief after hearing Kagome's reply. _"At last, finished!" _He thought victoriously. But Inuyasha was wrong.

Kagome stared at ceiling once more but didn't seem to be staring at it at all. It was because something was bothering her again. "Can I ask one more question before I sleep, Inuyasha?" She took her chances in asking the _hanyou_, knowing that if she didn't ask her question she wouldn't be able to sleep.

"You won't sleep until you ask that, will you?"

"No."

"You have so many questions," complained Inuyasha. "I'll answer that in one condition,"

"What?"

"That will be the last for tonight."

"I think it's already morning…" Kagome told him, looking at her alarm clock. It read past one in the morning.

Inuyasha muttered something about annoying bitches that always gave smart ass comments before replying to Kagome. "Fine! Just say the fucking question…" He said uninterestingly.

Kagome didn't turn to look at Inuyasha anymore but instead remained her gaze at the ceiling. "If we fight again—like that time… will that mean I can't stay anymore?" She asked, her heart beating fast inside her chest. _"Will there come a time that I can't be with you anymore?" _The thought caused immense pain, like her heart was being shattered into million pieces.

Inuyasha wasn't expecting that question from Kagome.It took him quite a while to recover from the shock and find his voice again. "Even though you knew my decision… you still wanted to stay. You were hurt badly when you knew my decision… and you continue to suffer because you are with me. Don't you want to leave me because of that?" He looked at her, waiting for the answer that would also answer the question he had asked before that she had left unanswered: whether she wanted to go home—permanently.

"I don't know what decision you are talking about but… I know that I chose to stay because I want to be with you always. Even though you say I was hurt because I stayed, I still don't regret that I stayed with you and I probably never will. Even though I lost my memory, my heart can never forget you Inuyasha. I can feel that deep inside… I always want to be beside you—even if I'll have to suffer, I still want to stay. So don't ask me to leave you 'cause I never will… I hope that's okay with you…" She said, turning her head to look at Inuyasha.

_"Kagome…" _Inuyasha didn't know what he did to deserve the devotion that Kagome was giving to him freely. Even though he would make her suffer like hell, she still wanted to stay with him. Was this for real? "Would you really stay with me—even after all the sufferings you've had because I wasn't able to protect you?" He asked, making sure that it was real.

"Yes." Kagome said, smiling warmly at him. "It's enough that I know you're trying your best to protect me." She added, her eyes showing nothing but sincerity and dedication to Inuyasha.

Now he was really certain about it. Kagome was _still_ staying with him and it made him happy—very happy. _"As much as possible, I won't let you suffer again Kagome. I'll protect you from Naraku with my life…" _Again, Inuyasha made a vow to protect Kagome from further sufferings but he was forgetting something—or someone…

Kagome returned to her previous position and smiled contentedly as she gazed at the ceiling. _"I can still stay with Inuyasha…"_ The thought made her heart happy—but why not completely happy? There was a doubt in her heart… what was it? Was it because there would come a time that she would leave Inuyasha? _"No!_ _I won't leave him! Never!" _She protested, pushing the doubt aside. Or was it because there would come a time that _Inuyasha_ would be the one to leave? Fear was now overwhelming in her heart. "Inuyasha?" She called out his name for assurance.

"What wench?"

Kagome sighed in relief inwardly. He was still there with her. _"No, he won't leave me…" _She thought to herself. "Good night, Inuyasha." She said, hoping he would answer back.

"Sleep already and try not to ask any more questions, wench."

_"Maybe that's his way of saying 'good night too, Kagome'?" _Kagome wondered, finally closing her eyes and feeling herself slip into unconsciousness. The doubt in her heart was pushed aside but not vanished—it would surely return when the right time had come…

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Kagome opened her eyes to find herself in a room—and it definitely wasn't her bedroom.

"Where am I?" She asked, looking around. The room was not well-lit so she couldn't see much of the room.

"Welcome back, Kagome." A voice from the dark corner of the room said. _His_ voice was cold and sinister, making Kagome shiver slightly in fear.

"Who are you?" She asked, backing away from the source of the voice. _"His voice is familiar and I know one thing for sure about this—I'm in trouble!"_

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A/N: Wow! That's such a long chapter! That's the longest chapter I have typed for Stay! Imagine 14 pages for the chapter and 1 ½ page for the A/N! Wow! That's something! Anyway, just want to say thanks again for reading and if you want to check on the status of my stories, check it on my profile! I'm putting it there from now on! -


	16. Remembering Someone and Something Import...

A/N: Once again, I would like to say thank you so much for all those people who spend time reading my chapters and reviewing too!!!!! To those new ones, welcome and hope you'll read this fanfic till the end okay? You're the sole reason this fanfic is still ongoing!!! I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!! The reviews are so very heartwarming! TT I would like to reply to _some_ of my new reviewers:

To _keki_, do you really think my fanfic lacks romance??? I thought my latest chapter was fluffy already (well, Inuyasha standard at least)… ' Anyway, I guess I'll just have to apologize if I didn't live up to your expectations… _Gomen ne _and thanks for the review. Please review again and tell me if you still don't find enough romance in this fic.

To _Kate_, well honestly, I also think this fanfic was dragged a bit too… It's my fault since I enjoy making Inuyasha and Kagome fight so much and I can't make their arguments short (with Inuyasha being a smart ass with comments and Kagome losing her memory…) Anyway, I'll try to lessen the drag for you… Thank you very much for the review, even though it was a little negative you balanced it with nice words and it was also very courteous. I appreciate those kinds of reviews so really thank you!! -

To _Calisto_, really Inuyasha isn't the best speaker in town so he really does need improvement with his communication skills. Don't worry, I'm giving him lessons so he wouldn't mess up that much when he finally decides to confess to Kagome! o LOL!

To _YuniX-2_, just read this chapter and you'll know the answer to your question/s. I also think Kikyou doesn't have a lair… she's wandering remember? - Thanks, by the way.

To _Angela_, your review always flatters me (not to mention it turns me into a puddle -) Arigatou gozaimashita!!! Really you're one loyal reader! I want to hug you!!! o Wait, you didn't answer the poll!!! Please answer this time, okay? I'm not mad, don't worry…

To _Jamfase_, it's a relief that you're just taking a break from fanfiction and not _quitting_. I swear I'm going to hunt you down if you don't finish your fanfic!!! BTW, thanks for showing up again (really appreciate it) and apology accepted—definitely.

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Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!!!!!!! How many times do I have to repeat myself??? o LOL!

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Chapter 16

_**Remembering Someone and Something Important**_

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"Don't you remember me yet?" His voice stayed creepy with a hint of laziness, perhaps because he knew that his captive would stay with him and would never manage to escape—not again. "Did you really forget me already huh?" He walked closer to Kagome, revealing his face to the terrified girl.

_"Naraku!?"_ Kagome's mind exclaimed in surprise when she finally saw the owner of the chilling voice that made her shudder. She could still remember the way his eyes stared at her when she came out to go to Inuyasha after she had lost her memory; it was really scary.

**Naraku jumped in front of Kagome and looked at her in the eyes. "I told you it's better to have that necklace than break it," said Naraku. **

**A sudden jolt of electricity seemed to creep into Kagome's body as she stared at Naraku. "Who are you?" She asked. **

"Kukuku…" Naraku smirked at the stunned expression on Kagome's face, looking amused at the way her eyes widened in surprise and fear. "So you do remember me after all…"

Kagome quickly recovered from her shock and shot deadly glares at Naraku. "Why wouldn't I remember you?! You were the very reason why I lost my memory!" She spat with hatred, not lowering her glares. She mustn't let Naraku know that she was afraid; she must do her best to fight him. _"But… I still can't understand why I'm in here… how did this happen?" _She thought in confusion. _"Where is Inuyasha?" _

As if Naraku had read Kagome's mind, he smiled evilly at her and said, "Inuyasha won't be coming." He took a step closer to her and added, "He doesn't even know you're here." A satisfied smirk spread on Naraku's lips when he saw the despair on Kagome's face. "No one's coming to save you… and now that your _miko _powers have weakened, I'll be able to kill you."

The young _miko _took another step backwards only to find herself leaning against the cold stone wall of the room. _"Am I going to die without even remembering? Inuyasha…" _She thought, watching in horror as Naraku walked towards her with a sinister grin on his lips. _"Inuyasha, where are you?!"_

"Now, die." He grabbed the girl by her neck and raised her from the floor. His lips curled into a satisfied smile as he tightened the grip on the poor girl's neck. "How pathetic, you can't even fight back." He said scornfully, his eyes piercing hers in a mocking manner.

It was now hard to breath for her. She tried to loosen the iron grip around her neck but it was useless. Her strength was slowly fading away… along with her life. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Not a single feeling. _"Is this how it feels… to die?" _Then she fell into the clutches of deep darkness.

-

All of a sudden, Kagome could hear faint chirping of birds and rustling of leaves. _"Are there birds and trees in the afterlife?" _She wondered, opening her eyes gradually. She stood up and looked around her surroundings. _"A forest? Now, why am I here?!" _Then she heard someone shout a name.

"Inuyasha!!" That was the name the voice yelled—and by the tone of _her_ voice, it was clearly angry.

Kagome immediately rushed to the source of the voice, finding herself hurrying to the location of the Goshinboku. She gasped in surprise when she reached her destination and saw the scene in front of her. Inuyasha was pinned on the Goshinboku; an arrow stuck in his chest. She wanted to scream out his name but her voice didn't comply. _"What's happening?!" _She thought anxiously, looking at Inuyasha's unconscious form. Then her eyes went to look at the culprit who shot the arrow at Inuyasha. Her eyes widened the moment she viewed the face of the perpetrator. _"Me?!" _She thought to herself, looking horrified at the thought of shooting Inuyasha herself. _"I killed… Inuyasha?! That can't be…"_ She examined the girl carefully from head to foot. She did look so much like her. Same color of eyes, same lips—even her complexion was the same as the girl's. The girl's hair was only longer than hers but still they had the same color—black as the starless night. She was holding her bow in one hand, struggling slightly to keep her footing. _"She's bleeding!" _Kagome thought, seeing the blood on her white _haori. "Is she really me?" _She asked in her mind, still unable to believe what she was seeing. She watched silently as the girl weakly dragged her feet towards a shining pink sphere lying on the ground. _"Is that…" _She remembered seeing that same round jewel before. When was it? A picture came into her mind. _"A centipede youkai attacked me then… that pink jewel came out from my left side…" _She thought, reminiscing the memory when she had first seen the small ball. _"That's right, that's the Shikon no Tama! So that's how it looked like before it was shattered…" _

The scene changed suddenly; it was now dark and Kagome was in a forest clearing. She was tied to a tree by some sort of _youkais _that looked like small pale green dragons and in front of her were Inuyasha and that girl that looked so much like her. _"Eh? Now Inuyasha is with that girl that killed him?!" _She still wasn't sure that the girl she was seeing before her was really _her_. _"If that is really me then, why is it that I am also here? This is really very confusing!!!" _She thought, unable to figure out why she was there in the first place. _"And why do I feel sad?" _Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Inuyasha speak.

"No matter what you look like… I could never find you disgusting or horrible." Inuyasha said, looking at the girl seriously.

"Is that… true?" The girl replied, her face softening. She slowly approached Inuyasha and placed a hand on his cheek. "Even though at this very moment, I could kill you with these hands…?" She dropped her hand and leaned forward to kiss Inuyasha.

_"Eh?! Now what's with this scene?! Why do I have to see all of these???" _Kagome thought, unable to move or speak out. _"Why do I need to see this in such a very close angle?" _She complained in her head.

The girl broke the kiss then hugged Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, ever since I met you, I ceased being a _miko_… I became an ordinary woman." She tightened her embrace to Inuyasha, who wasn't making any move. "I wanted to hold you like this when I was alive," added the girl.

Somewhere in Kagome's heart, she could feel sadness when she saw the girl together with Inuyasha. Tears were now welling up her eyes but she didn't let them fall. _"Maybe because I've already lost Inuyasha…" _She thought as she saw Inuyasha, wrapping his arms around the girl. _"Just when I thought I wouldn't feel anything anymore since I'm dead now…" _She looked away from the couple, sadness and loneliness stabbing her heart repeatedly. _"That girl definitely isn't me… because if she is me, I wouldn't feel sad like this to see her with Inuyasha…right?" _She reasoned to herself, trying to figure out if her thought made any point._ "Who is she then? And why does she look so much like me?" _She wondered curiously. Her head began to start throbbing again, making her feel dizzy. Bit by bit, her sight was getting blurred. "And where is that annoying sound coming from?" She mused, covering her ears to block the loud constant ringing sound coming from an unknown source.

"Kagome? Kagome! Wake up, breakfast is ready."

The irritating sound had finally stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around; she was inside her room, lying on her bed comfortably. "A dream?" She thought, leaving her bed to go towards the window. She opened her window, feeling relieved when the morning air kissed her face lightly. She moved towards her dresser and stared at the mirror for a while. "She looked like me a lot…" She murmured, studying her face on the mirror. Her eyes widened in surprise when another reflection appeared in the mirror—a reflection that was so much like hers. She quickly swiveled around, expecting to see no one—expecting that her mind was just playing tricks with her. But there she was. The girl she had seen in her dream; she was standing right in front of her, eyes looking straight at her.

"Who are you?" She spoke firmly.

"How did you get here?!" She asked the very first thing that entered her mind when she saw her, still unable to believe that she was standing in front of her—in _reality_.

The girl didn't look like she was going to answer Kagome, instead she repeated, "Who are you?"

Realizing that the girl—not her—was the one controlling their conversation, she answered softly, "I'm Kagome."

The girl seemed to be satisfied with the answer given so she proceeded to her next question. "Then who am I?" She asked challengingly, not taking her eyes off Kagome.

"How should I know?!" Kagome quickly replied, looking at her with puzzlement and annoyance. "Why do you ask me? I don't even know you. I just saw you in my dream with Inuyasha and…" And that was all she knew; she couldn't remember anything other than what she saw in her dream. She looked into her eyes and said earnestly, "Please, I just lost my memory so I don't remember much. _Please_ tell me who you are."

"So it is true then," said the girl, looking at Kagome derisively. "You actually fell into Naraku's trap and he was able to defeat you…" Her lips curled into a smirk before saying, "That only proves that you truly are weak. You can't even use your _miko_ powers properly now; you'll be useless in a battle with Naraku."

"_Miko_ powers? How could I possibly have that kind of power?" She said, getting more confused with all the things she was hearing. _"Naraku was also saying the same thing about my miko powers declining… do I really have that kind of power? If I really do then why does she know about it?" _She asked in her mind. "Do you know me? Tell me! I have so many questions and I need some answers! _Please_!" She cried out desperately.

The girl's eyes became serious once again as she looked at Kagome's eyes. "You'll have your answers," She told her, making Kagome sigh inwardly. "…but not from me."

Kagome's mouth hung open. _"What?!"_ Then she found herself alone once more inside her room. The girl was gone. "Hey! Where are you?!" She called out, turning around to inspect her whole room.

No one was there—except for her. She was _completely _alone.

"Kagome! Wake up!" But then again—maybe not.

Kagome squinted her eyes, adjusting them to the bright light that welcomed her. "Inuyasha?" She murmured sleepily, seeing the _hanyou_ looking at her worriedly. "Anything wrong?" She asked him.

"You were shouting," pointed out Inuyasha, narrowing his eyes at Kagome. "You tell me what's wrong." He demanded, studying Kagome's face.

"I was shouting?" She said uncertainly; one eyebrow arched. "Shouting what?"

Inuyasha placed a hand under his chin and thought for a moment. "Something like you need some answers then you were saying 'please' then you were shouting 'Where are you?!'" He said, recalling Kagome's words in her sleep. "What the heck was that all about?! Were you dreaming?" He asked with a hint of both annoyance and worry in his voice.

Kagome sat up and looked around her room. "This isn't another dream, is it?" She asked tentatively.

"Bitch, this is reality." Inuyasha assured her, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Just what the hell were you dreaming about?!"

_"I guess this is real…" _She thought to herself. _"Inuyasha is calling me names again, surely this is real."_ "Well, I had many dreams—I mean nightmares." She started, trying to recollect all of the things she had seen in her slumber. "First, I found myself in a room together with Naraku and he tried to kill me. Actually, I thought he _had_ killed me but then I woke up in a forest then…" She couldn't remember much anymore. Why was it that she always had a problem with recalling things? She forced herself to remember what happened next. She knew she had to remember because it was really important. She had to ask Inuyasha about it—but what was it?

**"Inuyasha!!" **

Kagome looked into Inuyasha's amber eyes, which were also looking into her eyes. "There was someone who yelled your name—angrily." She said, hearing the voice clearly in her head.

"Who?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side a little.

"A _girl_…" She answered with certainty. "Then I ran towards it and…" She had forgotten what had happened next. She tried again but still she was unsuccessful.

"And?" Inuyasha prompted her to go on, looking at her expectantly. _"Is her memory finally returning?!" _

She pursed her lips together and looked down at her lap. "I don't remember anymore…" She said in a whisper, clenching her blanket tightly.

Inuyasha's shoulders slumped as he gave out a sigh. _"I guess she still needs more time," _thought Inuyasha, looking at Kagome's hands, which were still clutching the bedspread firmly.

"Sorry." She looked at Inuyasha sympathetically, knowing how much Inuyasha also wanted her to remember something.

"Don't apologize for something so shallow," said Inuyasha, trying to comfort the girl. "Just be patient and you'll remember soon."

"So it's morning already, right?" Kagome asked, glancing at her window.

"What do you think?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. She was really unpredictable sometimes. One minute she was apologizing and then the next she was asking one of her stupid questions—again. Maybe it was another side effect when someone lost his or her memory? _"Or maybe it's just Kagome." _He noted in his mind.

Ignoring Inuyasha's comment, she stood up and stretched her arms high in the air. "What a nice morning!" She squealed in delight then turned to Inuyasha. "What do you think, Inuyasha?" She inquired, still wearing her happy face.

"Feh!" Inuyasha scowled, walking towards the door to leave. "I'll go down to see if there's any food." He told her, waving a hand at her uncaringly.

"Okay," replied Kagome, watching Inuyasha's retreating form. "I'll be there later after I finish taking a bath!" She added before Inuyasha closed the door behind him.

-

After having their breakfast, Kagome volunteered to stay behind to help her mother wash the dishes even though Mrs. Higurashi insisted that she should be resting instead.

"I'm not feeling sick so it's all right for me to do some chores." Kagome reasoned out to her mother.

Finally, her mother gave in.

"Hey Souta, would you please keep an eye on Inuyasha for me? He might go wandering somewhere…" Kagome said to her brother, noticing that Inuyasha wasn't around anymore.

"Sure, neechan!" And Souta ran off, calling Inuyasha's name.

Kagome turned back to the sink, sighing inwardly. _"At least I won't need to worry that he's going somewhere…" _She thought in relief.

"So how was your sleep, dear?" Her mother asked warmly, smiling at her.

"Fine, I guess." She answered, not wanting to make the woman beside her worry. "I just had some nightmares but I forgot them." She said thoughtfully, smiling back at her mother. _"That's right, I forgot them…" _She thought disappointedly.

As she worked with the dishes, she tried once more to remember what had happened next in her dream. _"A girl shouted Inuyasha's name then I ran… I ran towards the voice—then what? What did I see?" _It was useless. The last thing she always remembered was her running—no more after that. _"Just when I see something important in my dream, I forget it. Just great." _She grumbled in her head, wanting to get angry with herself for being so forgetful.

-

After finishing her chore, Kagome went outside to look for Souta and Inuyasha. Luckily, she quickly saw Souta playing with a ball near the shrine.

"Souta, where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously; hands placed on her hips.

"Sorry but Inuyasha-niichan told me he doesn't want someone spying around him." Souta answered, looking apologetic at his sister.

_"That's Inuyasha, all right." _Kagome thought, heaving out a sigh. "Well he really is like that," said Kagome, looking around for any sign of the _hanyou_. "I'll just go look for him myself." She smiled appreciatively at Souta before starting to walk away.

"The last time I saw him was in the Goshinboku!" He informed her sister before resuming his play.

"Thanks, Souta!" Kagome called back, breaking into a run towards the said tree.

Shortly, the Goshinboku came into view as Kagome continued to run towards it. Her eyes immediately spotted Inuyasha's red kimono behind the tall tree. A calmed smile was painted on her lips as she continued running towards Inuyasha's direction.

Then she heard that scream again inside her head.

**"Inuyasha!!" **

She continued to run towards the Goshinboku, just like in her dream. She clearly remembered what happened next now. Fear instantly crept through her body as the images began to flash in front of her eyes. The image of Inuyasha pinned on the Goshinboku haunted her mind endlessly. Inuyasha was going to be killed! _"Inuyasha! Just hang in there! Please!" _She thought worriedly.

When she was just a few feet away, she slowed down and walked instead. She took each step without any hurry, her eyes looking at nothing but Inuyasha in front of her. _"Inuyasha's safe!" _Her heart was flooded with relief when she saw Inuyasha, sitting below the Goshinboku peacefully with his hands pillowing his head as he stared at the sky lazily. Tears welled up on the corner of Kagome's eyes as she walked on, not taking her eyes away from Inuyasha even just for a single second. _"He's safe… he's not hurt… Thank goodness!" _She thought gratefully, fighting back the tears of joy that wanted to fall. She stepped over the low fence that surrounded the tree and dropped all of a sudden in a kneeling position in front of him, sitting on the heels of her feet.

Noticing Kagome's presence almost instantly, Inuyasha tore his gaze from the clear blue sky and beamed at her. "Great! Finally you're finally—" He paused when he met Kagome's eyes—they were watery. _"What the—" _He held Kagome's chin and examined her eyes closely. "Were you crying?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.

Kagome quickly wiped the unshed tears from her eyes and said defensively, "No."

"Then what was that in your eyes a while ago?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. _"What the hell's wrong with her?" _He wondered in his mind.

"Don't worry, I'm just happy." She assured him with a smile, her heart was beating normally once more. Everything was fine, no need to worry anymore.

"Stupid!" Inuyasha scowled, looking away from her. "How can you be happy when—" He paused when he felt Kagome's arms around him all of a sudden; his cheeks immediately reddened at her action.

"I told you I'm happy!" She cried out, burying her face on his _haori_ and sighed inwardly when she heard the beating of his heart. That was the reason why she hugged Inuyasha; she wanted to assure herself that he was real—not just another dream. He was truly okay and it made her really happy. She tightened her embrace and shut her eyes hard to hold back the tears that threatened to fall for the second time."I'm really happy because you're okay…" She said softly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye to prevent it from rolling down her cheek.

While trying to stop himself from blushing even more, Inuyasha glanced at Kagome sideways but found that her face was not visible from his point of view. "Kagome…" He started, wanting to find out what brought them to this kind of situation.

Kagome gently broke the hug and placed her hands on her lap. "Sorry if I—um—hugged you all of a sudden…" She said meekly; her eyes were safely turned away from Inuyasha's. "I was just grateful that you're alive…"

"Alive?" Inuyasha looked at her with pure puzzlement etched on his face.

"Yeah. I just suddenly remembered my dream and I thought it was some kind of premonition so I was worried." Kagome explained, biting her lower lip gently. "I just thought it was real… It felt so real…" She continued in a calm voice, looking up the Goshinboku. "In my dream, you were shot with an arrow… right there." She pointed a finger at the very spot where Inuyasha was held down by Kikyou.

Inuyasha stared at Kagome in astonishment after hearing her words. She was definitely remembering things now! "Kagome…" His heart was glad that Kagome had finally recovered _some _of her memory but knew that it wasn't time to relax yet. Until Kagome had her full memory restored, it wouldn't be over. "Kagome, that wasn't just a dream." This was the hard consequence of Kagome's memory loss; he had to explain everything to her—_carefully_—so she wouldn't misunderstand anything that might lead to a serious problem afterwards. "It's real… I was really pinned down that tree." He said coolly, preparing himself for the next question Kagome would be throwing at him. He had a hunch the question would be either hard to answer or hard to explain.

"So that girl really killed you…" Kagome said, slowly lowering her gaze towards her lap. She knew it was impossible but still there was a doubt at the back of her mind that made her ask Inuyasha. "Was that girl… me?" She raised her eyes nervously and fixed them on Inuyasha's amber eyes.

_"Just as I thought, she really hasn't remembered everything yet. I can't blame her if she thought she was the one who sealed me. She really has a great resemblance to Kikyou." _He smirked at Kagome and said in an insulting manner, "If you were the one who released that arrow, you'd certainly miss me!"

Instead of her getting annoyed with Inuyasha for saying something offending, her eyes shimmered happily at Inuyasha's comment. "So that means I didn't kill you, right?" She asked in pure delight, looking at Inuyasha excitedly for his answer.

"Of course, you didn't! You weren't even born back then!" He said, clutching his head with his clawed hand. _"I think I'm going to have a headache soon."_ Inuyasha couldn't believe the reaction he received from Kagome. She was actually _very happy_—not just simply happy—with his remark. _"In addition to her lost memory, she also forgot how to react correctly in certain comments." _He thought to himself, staring at Kagome incredulously. "Why do I have to be the one explaining all of these to you?!" He muttered, regretting his decision to stay with Kagome in her time.

"So who is she then?" She asked, looking at Inuyasha attentively. "My great, great ancestor or something? She really looks so much like me, you know."

"Not exactly." He said while rubbing his head slowly. He was so sure he was going to have a headache—_pretty _soon. "You are her reincarnation—you know what that means right?" He looked at Kagome questioningly.

Kagome rolled her beautiful brown eyes at him and said, "Luckily, yes, I know what that means. She was my past life, I was her in the past…"

"Yeah, good." Inuyasha said, a little grateful that he wouldn't have to explain that too. "Well anyway, she was a _miko_ and also the protector of the Shikon no Tama—"

"Wait!" Kagome interrupted upon hearing the word '_miko_'. "She was a _miko_?! Like me? Oh wait, I forgot, am I really a _miko_ too? Because in my dream, Naraku and that girl kept on saying that my _miko _powers have weakened… Um, what exactly does that mean?"

The _hanyou _took a deep breath as he replayed the questions that Kagome had asked him. Okay, he was having a headache _now_. "First, yes, she was a _miko_. Second, yes, like you. You are also a _miko_ because you can fire purity arrows—and purify the Shikon shards as well." He raised his hand to stop Kagome from opening her mouth; she was about to ask another question and he wasn't finished yet. "Don't talk yet, I'm not yet done. Purity arrows are very powerful weapon used by a _miko_. And last, I think it is also a side effect that when you lost your memory, your _miko_ powers have declined too. Do you get my drift?"

"I guess so." She answered hesitantly. _"This is more complicated than I thought it would be."_ She thought, thinking of other questions to ask him. She replayed her dream in her head slowly, constructing her next question from the scenes she saw. Two scenes from her dream had caught her attention greatly. The first was Inuyasha being pinned on the Goshinboku by that girl and the second was Inuyasha being kissed by that _same _girl. _"I just can't understand those two scenes!" _She grumbled mentally, looking at Inuyasha, who was staring back at her curiously.

"Can't understand something?" Inuyasha said, still not tearing his eyes off her. Judging by the way her forehead cringed; he could clearly see confusion in her part.

"It's another scene in my dream," said Kagome while tying words together in her mind to form her upcoming question. "What exactly was your connection to her? Were you enemies…" She paused for a while to lower her gaze. She couldn't let Inuyasha see the sadness that shone in her eyes. "…Or _friends_?" _"Kissing friends, that is." _She thought somberly, not wanting the feeling she was feeling right now. It was tearing her heart as she played that particular scene in her head.

Inuyasha's cheeks quickly turned red at Kagome's question. He stole a glimpse at her and was thankful when he saw her eyes turned away from him. _"My connection with Kikyou?" _He thought about the question for a while, finding the right term to use for their relationship. What were they exactly? Definitely not enemies—but what? After a few minutes of thinking, he came up with a _safe_ answer.

"I met her when I tried to steal the Shikon no Tama from her." He said in a quiet voice, glancing at Kagome's face secretly. "But then I never succeeded in stealing the jewel 'cause she always seemed to know how to protect that damn thing. Although she has always protected the jewel, she never tried to kill me for stealing it—even once. And surprisingly after some time, we became friends but we fell into Naraku's trap."

"Trap?"

Inuyasha gave a small nod then went on with his story. "He made a trap to make us hate each other. After that, I tried to steal the jewel again but she sealed—not killed—me in this tree." He said, sighing mentally after finishing his narrative. He actually managed to tell _this_ to Kagome. That was definitely something…

Kagome waited but Inuyasha didn't continue anymore. _"That was all?"_ She thought uncertainly. She didn't know why but something was bothering her, telling her that it wasn't as simple as that. There was something more that Inuyasha wasn't telling her—something _very_ important. Deep in thought, Kagome didn't notice that she was already voicing out her thoughts. "Is that _really_ all?" The words were out before she could stop herself.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked at her questioningly.

She quickly amended her sentence and blurted out, "I mean you still haven't told me what had happened to her afterwards."

He had stopped massaging his head and replaced his hand inside his red sleeves. "She died afterwards because of her wound. Her body was burned—together with the Shikon no Tama." He answered.

"So she died…" She murmured, contemplating to herself. _"And I became her reincarnation…Wait, her?"_ She finally realized that she still didn't know the name of the girl. "Inuyasha, can you tell me what's her name? I forgot to ask you…" She said, hoping that if she would know her name she might recall something concerning her—something that might help answer her questions.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow at Kagome, not getting her point in asking Kikyou's name. Nevertheless, he still told her. "Kikyou." He said the name directly, looking at Kagome all the while.

"Kikyou…" She spoke the name in her own lips, trying to detect any familiarity with the mention of her name. "Kikyou…" She repeated when nothing came in her mind.

"Do you remember anything?" Inuyasha inquired after hearing Kagome say Kikyou's name for the fourth time.

Kagome shook her head gently and said, "No… not a single thing." She crawled towards Inuyasha's right side and sat next to him, also resting her back on the trunk of the Goshinboku. She took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. "I feel so comfortable sitting below this tree." She smiled as she gazed at the azure sky admiringly.

Inuyasha returned his hands at the back of his head to cushion it and glanced at Kagome from the corner of his eyes. He could hear Kagome murmuring Kikyou's name while she looked across the vast endless blanket of blue. "Do you intend to say 'Kikyou' this whole day?!" He muttered before turning his gaze up to the heavens.

"Not really," replied Kagome calmly, not taking her eyes off the enchanting blue sky. "I just thought maybe I'll be able to remember something if I say her name."

"Well, apparently, it's _not _working," grumbled Inuyasha, looking at Kagome with irritation. "So maybe you should just shut up?"

"Are you annoyed because I remind you of Kikyou when I keep saying her name?" She still didn't look at Inuyasha's direction.

"Stupid! It's not that!" He denied, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I'm annoyed because you're so noisy!"

"I was just _whispering_ her name." She said in defense.

"I have sensitive ears so I can still hear you loud and clear, wench." Inuyasha answered back, pointing to the white furry triangles on top of his head while glaring at Kagome.

Kagome finally looked at Inuyasha, matching the angry stare Inuyasha was giving her. She wasn't going to lose this battle; she wouldn't let Inuyasha win this one. She stared into his eyes more fiercely until she saw a reflection of herself on them. _"A reflection…"_ She thought sadly. Her eyes slowly lowered as she thought about it more and more. "Anyway, even if I shut up I would still remind you of Kikyou…" She said, giving up once again. "Since I look like her…"

"Who told you that you remind me of Kikyou?!" He asked. "I've told you before, you're Kagome—not Kikyou. Even though you look like her, you're different." He sighed in exasperation. "You're alive. Kikyou's dead. When I look at you, I don't see Kikyou. I see Kagome. Get it?" He really hoped she did. After all that talk he had done, she _should_ get it.

She returned her gaze at Inuyasha with a warm smile on her lips and nodded. "Thank you, Inuyasha…" She said gratefully, looking into his eyes once more. This time she knew it was really _her_ reflection on Inuyasha's eyes—not anybody else's. "That was nice…" Her heart was calmed by Inuyasha's words and it felt great. _"Maybe it's not that bad if I lose against Inuyasha this time…" _She thought; her heart was full of warmth. _"Since I got to hear him talk like that…" _

"I just hope you recover your memory soon so I don't have to do any more explaining. It's beginning to tire me and we still have lots of business to do." He said, shifting his gaze towards the green leaves of the Goshinboku. _"Good, she got it." _He sighed mentally, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

The two fell quiet for a while, busy with the thoughts going on inside their minds.

_"Kikyou…" _She had returned to her previous thought about the dead priestess. _"I can feel something about her that Inuyasha didn't tell me… Somehow, I know now that I really have met her… Even though she's dead… How?"_ Her eyes subconsciously went to the ground. _"Bones and earth?" _She looked at the soil closely, trying to grasp something in her mind.

**"I finally got the reincarnated soul of hers." **

**"I need you to bring Kikyou back to life completely!" **

"She was resurrected?!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, looking at Inuyasha with wide brown eyes. "Kikyou was resurrected by Urasue, right?"

"Kagome, you remembered?!" Inuyasha burst out; the expression of shock and excitement mixed on his eyes. "You remember now?!" He asked, looking at her expectantly.

Kagome placed her hand on her temple as a tinge of pain began to surface. "Yeah, I think I'm beginning to remember now…" She said, a huge smile lighting up her face. Her questions were starting to get their respective answers. "I remember now, Inuyasha!" She said animatedly, looking up at the Goshinboku. "You were pinned here for fifty years, then I came from the Bone Eater's well with the jewel inside me. I was chased by a centipede _youkai_ and in order to be saved, I broke your seal to free you." The pictures weren't confusing anymore as they began to flash in her mind—slowly this time. "I remember them now. Mama… she would always make a lot of lunch for me to bring to you guys in the Sengoku Jidai… Souta always asks me why he couldn't come with me and jiichan always loves to tell stories about the origin of stuffs. This is great! I have my memory back!!!" She cheered happily, beaming from ear to ear.

"Great!" Inuyasha agreed, also feeling happy about the recovery of Kagome's memory. "So you remember all of it now, right?" He asked to make sure.

"Eh?" Kagome propped her hand on her chin as she thought about Inuyasha's question. After a few seconds of thinking she answered, "I think so… I broke the Shikon no Tama because I accidentally hit it with that crow _youkai_… Kaede-baachan told us to collect the Shikon shards and during our journey, we met Shippou-chan, Miroku-sama and Sango-chan, right?"

"Okay, so I guess you really have your memory back." He assented, stretching his arms as he gave out a yawn. "Damn… sitting here all morning is very boring." He complained.

"I think we should go back to the Sengoku Jidai soon." She remarked, looking bothered. "We really should start looking for the Shikon shards again and the others might be worried about us too." She told Inuyasha.

"Are you sure you're okay now?"

Kagome nodded and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine now. Thanks to Kikyou I—" She stopped abruptly when Kikyou's name registered in her mind. Now that her memory was brought back, she knew the connection between Kikyou and Inuyasha perfectly well. _"Kikyou was the one who killed Inuyasha. She was the one who wanted Inuyasha dead. She wanted to pull Inuyasha down with her to hell… and Inuyasha… he wants to protect Kikyou because…" _Kagome's memory wouldn't betray her anymore; she had really recovered her memory. Happy memories and even the _bitter_ memories—all of them were back. _"Because Inuyasha loves her…" _The pain she felt whenever she thought about this had returned. Always along with memories, there were always feelings. Jealousy, sadness, loneliness and _love_. Now she knew why she felt like that towards Inuyasha—she remembered it now. _"It's because I love Inuyasha." _She thought, finding herself staring into Inuyasha's deep pools of golden yellow.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said her name worriedly. "Is your head hurting again?"

"No." She instantly replied and flashed a reassuring smile at Inuyasha. "Sorry, I just remembered something…" She said in excuse.

"What was it?"

"Nothing important." She said dismissively. _"Liar." _She grumbled in her mind.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking suspiciously at her.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure." Kagome said, hoping Inuyasha would just drop the subject. "So we'll go back after lunch?" She asked to change the topic.

"Sure."

Kagome sighed inwardly and looked up towards the sky. _"Well, at least, I have recovered my memory now. Things will be normal once again…" _She thought, feeling glad again that she had her memory back. _"Even though things won't be easy for me now, at least I'm back to normal." _

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Kagome and Inuyasha were now standing in front of the well, saying good-bye to Kagome's family.

"Kagome! Be careful there, okay?"

Kagome looked back at her mother and smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry Mama, I'll be extra careful now and besides, Inuyasha will be there for me." She said, glancing at Inuyasha's direction.

"Take care of yourself, Kagome." Jiichan said with pure concern. "By the way, did you bring the charm I brought to your room a while ago?" He asked.

"What charm?"

"The protection charm I got from the shrine!" Her grandfather replied with a confident smile. "You mustn't forget that Kagome!" He added.

"I think I did put it in my bag." She said, sounding somewhat unsure. "We'll be going now, okay?"

"Okay, remember to be careful!" Her mother repeated.

"Take care of neechan for us, Inu no niichan!" Souta added.

Inuyasha simply nodded then looked at Kagome. "Let's go, Kagome."

"Okay."

And together they jumped into the well, ready to face what they had left behind in the Sengoku Jidai.

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A/N: So you think this is the end? Nah… A few more chapters before this story ends. The problem isn't over yet, believe me. And you think Kagome's already back to normal—not completely. Wow! There's so much in store next chapter! A certain someone is going to visit Kagome! Guess who? Now, you got to review okay? Never ever forget to leave a review! That's very nasty if you're just going to read the chapter I have worked so hard for and you won't leave a single comment. Another thing, I've got an account on notifylist . com and from now on, I'll be using that to contact my readers. Please sign up so you'll receive an e-mail when I update Stay. Just go to my profile here at FF . net to get the link, okay? Thank you for reading and reviewing! (violet blossom, thanks for signing up already!!!)

Again, review... Fanfiction . net is messing up my smileys... That's really depressing... : (


	17. Same Choice

A/N: Yay!!! Oo I know I'm so sorry… Again, I've been back to school and I've got lots of work to do. Please forgive me for being VERY VERY VERY late.

I would like to thank my reviewers for constantly reviewing (and bugging me to update). They really help me to keep going. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I always thought of leaving this fanfic because my schedule is really loaded but when I think of you guys… I just can't end it. This fanfic will go on till the end, PROMISE! Just be patient with me…

By the way, special thanks goes out to I think you should leave a name next time, I'm not mad at you ) for constantly (as in C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y) reminding/bugging me for an update. You have reviewed 8 times (yes, I've counted them!) and I'm really sorry that I still didn't update this fanfic. Again, school is really terrible… I hope you're not yet dead… Please have more patience. And leave your e-mail address so I can e-mail you or be a member of my mailing list for this fanfic. The link is in my profile, please look it up there…

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Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha… -sigh-

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Chapter 17

**_Same Choice _**

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"PERVERT!!!!"

"I didn't mean it that way…" Miroku reasoned out as he rubbed his burning cheek with a red mark of—obviously—Sango's hand.

"What do you mean 'didn't mean it that way'?!" hollered Sango, glaring dangerously at Miroku, who was sitting beside her.

"I was trying my best to comfort you." Miroku said calmly, looking innocently at the furious girl next to him. "You're too worried about Kagome-sama's condition… Inuyasha's with her so I'm sure she's safe."

"Well, if that's your best way of comforting me, just keep your hands to yourself because I don't need them!" She pointed out with gritted teeth, hands shaking at her sides. "You're not _comforting_ me. You're just _annoying_ me—pretty much." She added, putting a good distance between Miroku and herself. "Stay THERE." She commanded, pointing an intimidating finger at him.

Miroku looked at Sango's finger coolly for a couple of seconds then sighed. "As you wish." He said, bowing his head in surrender.

Shippou just stayed quiet with Kirara seated beside him as they watched the two as they began one of their _typical _quarrels. Ever since Kagome and Inuyasha left, Shippou was left with nothing to do but watch Miroku and Sango fight or play a little game with Kirara. Sometimes, Kaede would stay with them to talk or eat with them but most of the time, she was out to visit the village or collect medicinal herbs. The little kitsune was getting bored and he wished very badly that Kagome would return soon so he could have some more interesting company. The girl from the future was always very happy to play with Shippou and she would also bring lots of fun stuff from her world.

"I wonder why Inuyasha still hasn't returned…" Shippou mused curiously.

"He probably stayed with Kagome-sama in her country." Miroku answered.

"But he didn't even like to take Kagome there," said Shippou. "Why would he be staying there?"

"Maybe Inuyasha changed his mind." Sango suggested. "You know him. When it comes to Kagome-chan, he always does some unexpected things…"

"Well, yeah, that is possible…" Miroku agreed. "He probably stayed there because he was worried about Kagome-sama _or_ he probably stayed there because he was forced to stay." He stifled a laugh when a mental picture of Kagome _literally_ putting a leash on the _hanyou _appeared in his mind.

"Inuyasha was forced to stay?" Shippou repeated, looking puzzled. "How can that be possible? Kagome can't use 'sit' because she forgot it, right?"

"Maybe Kagome-chan remembered it already." Sango said, also wondering how Kagome would force Inuyasha to stay—if she did _really_ force him to stay.

"Maybe," said Miroku then smiled cunningly. "_Or_ she used another method. Kagome-sama is a bright girl; she will surely think of a way to make Inuyasha stay…" A wide grin played on his lips when he thought of the other ways that Kagome had possibly used.

Sango and Shippou paused to think about Miroku's words. The two were now busy creating their own mental images of how Kagome possibly succeeded in making Inuyasha stay with her. All of the pictures brought the same effect to them—amusement. The whole hut was filled with their laughter while Kirara looked at them with interest.

The little fire cat suddenly turned her head towards the entrance of the hut and meowed as if greeting someone.

Miroku was the first to recover from their gaiety to look at the direction Kirara was looking at. His eyes went wide a little when he saw Inuyasha standing at the entrance with a yellow bag over his shoulder.

"Inuyasha!?" Shippou cried out, looking shocked. "You already came back!"

"Yeah, runt." Inuyasha replied with his usual manner of talking. "Kagome's also back." He added, walking towards one corner of the hut to place Kagome's large backpack.

"Hi everyone!" Kagome greeted brightly, a nice smile on her lips.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango quickly stood up to approach her friend.

"You're back!" Miroku said, looking glad at their friends' return.

"Kagome!!!" The little kitsune rushed to Kagome and sprang to her open arms. "I missed you so much!" He told her as he hugged the young _miko_ tighter.

"Me too." Kagome beamed happily. "I missed all of you!" She sat down on the floor, Shippou sitting on her lap. "At last, I'm back to normal!!! I've regained my memory!" She announced ecstatically to her friends.

"You did?!" Sango exclaimed cheerfully, looking happy for her friend. "I'm happy for you!"

"That's great! You remember all of us now!" Miroku added, also feeling very glad with the turn of events for Kagome.

"Kagome, so you remember everything again, don't you?" Shippou questioned, looking up at her hopefully.

Kagome gave out a small smile. "I think so." She answered.

"You're not yet sure?" The kitsune looked bothered again.

"I'm not yet sure but I remember lots of stuff now." She said, trying her best to reassure Shippou about her condition. "Here, why don't you try asking me a few things?" She suggested, also praying silently to herself that she did recover _all_ of her memories.

Shippou left Kagome's lap to sit in front of her. He crossed his arms in front of him and thought of a question to ask her.

Miroku and Sango looked at Shippou interestingly as they waited for his question.

"How did we meet?" He asked Kagome after a short silence.

Kagome looked at everyone in the room then fixed her eyes on Shippou. "How did we meet?" She repeated the question then remained silent for a while.

Inuyasha was watching Kagome worriedly; fear flooded his heart as the silence lengthened. Maybe Kagome still didn't recall everything? _"Please remember, Kagome…" _He prayed inside his mind.

"Inuyasha and I were in an abandoned battlefield at that time…" Kagome started, finally grasping the memory clearly in her head. "Inuyasha is eating ramen while I was telling some stories about my time. Then suddenly, it became dark and you appeared, asking us to give you the Shikon shards."

"You remembered it!!!" Shippou asserted with joy. "You really do have your memory back!"

Inuyasha mentally sighed in relief. She had really regained her memory. She was back to normal. Inuyasha's heart was pacified by that thought. _"She's finally back with us…" _He thought contentedly.

"Yeah." Kagome smiled, also looking pleased. "I even remember at that time…" She glanced at Inuyasha and chuckled lightly before adding, "Inuyasha was really annoyed with you that he had hit you so many times. You had plenty of bumps in the head because of him."

"Inuyasha was a jerk ever since I met him." Shippou commented, also reminiscing their first acquaintance.

"What did you say?!" Inuyasha demanded, raising a clenched fist at him. "You really want me to hit you, don't you?!"

"Kagome…" Shippou returned to Kagome's lap for protection.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said his name in a threatening manner, looking at Inuyasha.

"Keh! Yeah, yeah, I know! I won't hit the annoying brat!" Inuyasha grumbled, sitting beside Kagome and folding his arms on his chest. "You always keep on protecting him." He complained, looking very irritated at the kitsune sitting on the _miko's _lap.

"It's because you keep on bullying him!" Kagome answered back, getting pissed off with Inuyasha's inappropriate jealousy.

"What?!" He growled loudly, looking angrily into Kagome's brown eyes.

"Why do you always get mad about small things?!" She retorted, also returning the glare to Inuyasha.

"Um, I think you guys should stop fighting… We should just be happy that Kagome-sama has recovered her memory." Miroku said, trying to stop the quarrel that was beginning to ensue between the two.

"Keh!" Inuyasha looked away from Kagome. "She's the one who started it!" He stood up and went to the far corner of the room to be left alone. After stealing one last glance at Kagome, he sat himself and leaned on the wall to take a rest. "Wench…" He muttered under his breath then closed his eyes.

Kagome wanted so much to sit Inuyasha at that time but she stopped herself. Instead, she just took a deep breath then released it slowly. Then she noticed that someone was missing inside the hut. "Where's Kaede-baachan?" She asked, looking for the old woman that was usually with them inside the shelter.

"She went to the village to see the sick daughter of one of the villagers." Sango replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's on her way back. She'll be very happy to hear that your memory has returned."

"Yeah, I think so too." Kagome said, smiling at her friend.

"Kagome?"

"Yes, Shippou-chan?" Kagome looked down at the little _youkai _seated on her lap, waiting for what he had to say.

"How did you remember everything?" He asked curiously.

Inuyasha quickly opened his eyes at the mention of the question. Of course he knew the answer perfectly well. _"Kikyou…" _He thought as his heart ached for Kagome. He knew that Kagome also suffered when she recovered her memory. She now knew who was Kikyou in Inuyasha's life. _"Kagome always has to suffer when she's with me…" _He thought, getting angry with himself. _"Why can't I ease that pain for her?!" _

"I… I remembered Kikyou…" Inuyasha heard Kagome answer after a deafening silence. Inuyasha looked at Kagome's direction and saw her eyes looking down the floor. Before that, he had seen something flash in those brown eyes of hers—sadness. He was right; Kagome was really suffering even as she regained her lost memory. He couldn't take seeing that emotion in Kagome's eyes. It was tearing him apart.

"Shippou, stop bothering Kagome with your damn questions." He barked and stood up quickly, eyes not looking at any of them. "I swear if you ask one more question, I'm going to cut your fucking tongue out!" After that, he left the room grumpily without telling them where he was going.

"What happened to him…?" Shippou said softly, his voice trembling slightly as he looked up to Kagome.

"I don't know exactly either." Kagome replied, worrying about Inuyasha. "Let's just leave him alone. He needs it." She looked at the hut's exit, wondering where Inuyasha could have gone. _"Inuyasha…" _

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Inuyasha rushed towards the forest and walked slowly when he reached the comforting shade of green trees. As he walked on, many things troubled his mind. Again, the main thing that bothered his mind is making his choice. How was he going to make his choice between Kikyou and Kagome? He now knew perfectly well that a time would come that he would be making that choice. Maybe he should start thinking about his choice?

Inuyasha found himself in front of a familiar tree. The tree where he was bound for fifty long years. _"Kikyou was the one who sealed me here… and Kagome was the one who freed me. Kikyou and I fell into Naraku's trap and we hated—no. I never really hated her even after what had happened. I… I still loved her even though I ended up pinned on this tree. She was the only person that I learned to trust before… She was the only one that cared about me…But then—" _

**Kikyou scoffed at Inuyasha. "Liar." She said. "Have you forgotten that girl? Your feelings for me aren't the same anymore Inuyasha! You're undecided! Can't decide between that girl and me!" **

_"It's true…" _He thought. _"Kikyou is telling the truth. Back then when I was talking to her, I was undecided. I keep telling her that my feelings were still the same… were they? I don't know anymore… If I do love Kikyou, then why did I choose Kagome when Kikyou asked me to choose? And if I don't love Kikyou, then why am I willing to go with her to hell?" _Things were getting more complicated as he thought about them more and more._ "Is Kagome really my choice? Great… Now I'm also questioning my choice…" _He sat down under the Goshinboku and rested his back on its trunk. _"Kikyou… She's right when she said we could never start again… because she's already dead… Maybe that's why I am willing to go to hell with her? Because we will be together there…but then, I always see Kagome reaching out to me. Why do I always see her when Kikyou is about to kill me? She wants me to live while Kikyou wants me to die. After all the things that have happened, I don't think I still want to go to hell with Kikyou anymore. I need to protect Kagome so she doesn't fall into Naraku's hands again—like the way Kikyou did. I'll do anything it takes to stop her sufferings… Does that mean I don't love Kikyou anymore? I know I am also willing to protect her with my life. I also don't want her to suffer anymore… If I have really chosen Kagome, then why can't I stop thinking about Kikyou? Why can't I stand to see her suffering? Then did I really choose Kagome or was it really Kikyou that I have chosen?" _

No answer came to him. He was left more confused than before.

_"Kagome… why did I choose her at that time? She was the one that taught me how to trust again. She was the only person that understood me completely. Kikyou wanted me to be human so we can be together… Kagome... she wanted me to be happy... that was the only thing she wished for me. Then… do I love Kagome? Maybe… but she deserves someone much better than me. I am just a worthless half-breed. She'll only suffer when she stays with me…" _

**"I don't know what decision you are talking about but… I know that I chose to stay because I want to be with you always. Even though you say I was hurt because I stayed, I still don't regret that I stayed with you and I probably never will. Even though I lost my memory, my heart can never forget you Inuyasha. I can feel that deep inside… I always want to be beside you—even if I'll have to suffer, I still want to stay. So don't ask me to leave you 'cause I never will… I hope that's okay with you…" Kagome said, turning her head to look at Inuyasha. **

_"I never understood why she wants to stay with me even after all the things that have happened. I just hurt her… why doesn't she leave me even after that?"_ Inuyasha had never known the reason for Kagome's choice to stay with him. He never saw the reason even though it was quite obvious.

"If the time comes that I am asked to choose again… will I have the same choice as before? The person I want to stay with forever…" Inuyasha closed his eyes and thought again about his choice.

He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was now starting to set. He didn't move from his spot; he still didn't want to return to the others. He would stay here for a while—to think some more. What would be his choice? He decided to watch the sunset before going back. After all, times that he would be alone were now very seldom ever since he met Kagome. Kagome always stayed beside him—that was why. He jumped into a high branch to sit there and have a better view of the sunset.

It didn't take long before the sky started turning pinkish then red and orange. A mixture of yellow and purple was added that made the heavens nicer to look at.

All of a sudden, Kagome's smiling face came across Inuyasha's mind. He smiled softly and then fixed his eyes again on the sunset. _"Kagome would have probably been very happy to be watching this. She's always happy about small things." _The _hanyou_ thought.

A feeling of serenity ruled over Inuyasha and he liked that feeling very much. That feeling was very familiar to him—ever since he met Kagome. As he continued to watch the sun making its way down the sky, he remembered a certain memory that helped him make his choice.

**"Kagome," whispered Inuyasha. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek. "Please stay with me, Kagome. I don't want to lose you." He said. **

_"I meant those words back then…" _Inuyasha thought as the sun completely vanished and the moon shone brightly above him. _"And up until now… I really need her beside me... I almost died worrying about her when she disappeared. And worse, she fell into Naraku's hands..." _Inuyasha clenched his clawed hand firmly, making his claws pierce hard on his palm. Blood was now trickling softly from his wound but he didn't pay any attention to it. _"I felt so helpless when I saw the cold look in her eyes...I'm just thankful she's back to me__."_He leaped down the branch of the tree and sighed lightly. _"Guess I'll still make the same choice when that time comes." _And he started his way back towards the others—back to the girl he chose to stay with forever...

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A/N: Yehey! Another chapter down! I know it's shorter than my normal chapters but please bear with it. I am really quite busy now… By the way, again, I'm reminding you to sign in my mailing list so you'll receive an e-mail when I update. Also, about the poll, I decided not to do any of the stories YET since I already have an upcoming fanfic when Stay ends. It's an AU too but it's far more different and the setting is still in Inuyasha's time—but still AU.

Back to Stay, this chapter is a bit confusing since Inuyasha is really confusing... I really intended to make it this way—even I am getting a bit confused (just kidding!). Just read the following chapters and it will be cleared. So just wait for it, okay?

I hope this update has made your day better! Now in return, please make my day better too! How? Review!!!!!! Thank you very much!!! Bye-bye!


	18. Inuyasha's Rival Arrives

A/N: WOW! I already got 320+ reviews! I never expected to get this much reviews! Thank you so much to all of my wonderful readers! If you need some favors, just say them and I'll be glad to do them! Just don't go asking for money because I don't have a lot.

Starting for this chapter, I'm giving out an award to the best reviewer every time I update. Winner/s will be posted below this chapter! Okay, enough of my blabbing, here's the 18th chapter (What?.! I already reached chapter 18?.! Oh well, a few more chapters and "Stay" will be over…)

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Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA. Or Kagome. Or Miroku. Or Sango. Or Shippou. You get the idea now, right?

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Chapter 18

**_Inuyasha's Rival Arrives _**

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"Are you hungry already?"

Inuyasha's eyes looked down to see Kagome looking up at him. He was back long ago but he decided not to enter the hut again. He still needed some time alone so he camped outside, resting on top of his usual tree when they stayed in the old _miko's_ village.

"No. Just go back inside, Kagome." He could clearly see the worry in Kagome's eyes. "I'm fine here." He added, hoping that that would be enough to ease the worry Kagome was feeling. He didn't want her to worry.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha silently for a while, as if searching his eyes for something. Then she saw something that made her smile. _"Something in Inuyasha's eyes is different. He looks… peaceful now." _She thought, immediately vanishing the anxiety in her heart. Inuyasha was all right; she didn't need to worry anymore. "We're going to sleep. Kaede-baachan was very happy to know that I had recalled everything." She informed Inuyasha. "I also told everyone that we're going to continue searching for the Shikon shards early in the morning."

"You better rest then." Inuyasha replied, feeling relieved when the worry in her eyes disappeared.

Kagome nodded and said, "You too." She turned her back at him and started walking back towards the hut.

Inuyasha watched her go, a little smile playing on his lips. _"Everything will be back to normal now."_ He thought contentedly. He shifted his gaze towards the star-filled sky when his ears heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Inuyasha?"

"Wench, you should sleep already." Inuyasha muttered but nevertheless, he looked down at her and waited for her what she had to say.

"I forgot to tell you…" She said; her warm brown eyes connected with his amber ones. "Thank you." She gave out a sweet smile that made Inuyasha's heart beat faster. "Thank you very much."

"F-For what?" He managed to say, his cheeks burning heavily.

Kagome shrugged. "Just thank you." She answered him. _"Thank you for making me happy." _

"You're so weird." He told Kagome with narrowed eyes.

She giggled. "That's all right." She said and turned her back once again. "See you tomorrow then!" And she walked away—happy and contented. Inuyasha was fine and that was all that mattered.

"Keh! What was that all about?" Inuyasha complained though he was smiling too.

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"Oh no!" Kagome cried out, looking utterly horrified when she finally came out of the hut.

"What's the matter, Kagome-chan?" Sango questioned, looking concerned at her friend.

"I forgot the charm jiichan gave me!" She said, putting her backpack over her shoulders.

"You talk like your whole life depended on that piece of crap!" Inuyasha groused, crossing his arms over his chest arrogantly. "You don't need that anyway! What's the big deal if you left it?.!"

The young girl from the future looked even more aghast. "Jiichan will kill me!" She said, looking like the world was going to end.

"Kagome, it's all right okay?.! Just don't get yourself killed and that's enough! That's the purpose of the fucking charm, right?.!" Inuyasha said, trying to snap Kagome back to her senses.

"I guess you're right." Kagome said, looking cheerful again. "Okay, let's get going then!" She announced excitedly.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Shippou joined in, feeling glad that they were going to travel again. Somehow, he missed the expeditions they had had in search for the pieces of the sacred jewel.

"Inuyasha, where are we going today?" Miroku asked curiously.

"I don't know." The _hanyou _answered. "Ask Kagome."

"Kagome-sama, can you feel any presence of Shikon shards?" He asked the _miko_ gifted with the ability to sense Shikon shards.

Kagome was silent for a while as she focused herself at the task of searching any hint of Shikon shards. "No… I don't sense any Shikon shard near here."

"Maybe we should be on our way now." Sango suggested.

"Take care everyone." Kaede told them then turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, watch over Kagome carefully. Naraku might—"

"I know, I know. You don't need to tell me anymore." He cut in.

"Okay." The elderly _miko_ replied. "Kagome, don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

"Thank you, Kaede-baachan. Don't worry, I'll be careful." She assured the concerned_ miko_ with a smile.

And so their long delayed quest continued.

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"Inuyasha! I'm already hungry!" Shippou wailed while he was on Miroku's shoulder.

"Inuyasha, why don't we rest for a while?" Kagome recommended, looking at Shippou. "Besides, we've been walking for so long and there's still no aura of any Shikon shards."

Inuyasha heaved out a sigh and muttered, "Fine. We'll rest for a while."

"All right!" The little kitsune cheered with a large smile on his face. "Finally, we're eating!"

Kagome smiled too and began opening her bag for the things they were going to use.

Miroku volunteered to gather the firewood they needed to cook since he knew that Inuyasha would likely refuse to leave Kagome's side to do the chore. Shippou also went with him to help him. Sango and Kirara went to the nearby river to get some water for cooking.

Inuyasha was resting under the shade of a huge tree, his head cushioned under his arms while he watched Kagome placing a checkered red blanket over the green grass. He suddenly caught a scent that made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. _"What the fuck is he doing here?.!"_ He quickly stood up and snatched Kagome protectively, hiding her behind him as he looked around. His claws were ready to strike the moment the enemy decided to show himself.

Kagome was surprised and confused at the same time. "Inuyasha, what are you—"

"Ssshh!" Inuyasha silenced her, ears twitching in anticipation as he waited for someone.

"Inuyasha, Kouga-kun is—"

"I know!" Inuyasha cut her quickly. "The stinking wimpy wolf is coming."

"Kouga-kun's _already_ here." She pointed out, finally managing to say a complete sentence without Inuyasha cutting her off.

Inuyasha automatically spun around to find Kouga with Kagome, his hands clasped tightly with Kagome's. Immediately getting jealous and infuriated, he grabbed Kagome's hands from Kouga's grip and placed himself between the two. "What the hell are you doing here, wimpy wolf?.!" He demanded, his forehead almost touching Kouga's forehead as he glared at him dangerously.

Kouga smirked haughtily. "Of course, I came to pay a visit to my woman." He answered confidently.

"Who ever said she's your woman?.!" Inuyasha snarled, fangs showing.

"Says me." Kouga said with the same conviction he always had when saying that Kagome was his woman. "She _is_ my woman so back off, dog turd."

"Keh! As if you can defeat me!" He scoffed, arrogance coating his words.

"Of course I can."

"Then show me!"

"Aren't you too excited to die?"

"Let's see who ends up fucking dead!"

"You bet! We'll really see!"

"You talk so much! Let's just fucking start the fight!"

"INUYASHA!" Kagome shouted, giving him an icy stare.

"What?.!" Inuyasha demanded, looking irritated for being delayed on killing an annoying bastard.

"Won't you two ever stop fighting?.!" She asked, looking exasperated with the situation they always ended up with every time Kouga would appear.

"It will only stop when I finish killing the wimpy wolf." Inuyasha answered, turning back to Kouga and returning to the task at hand. "Now, prepare to—"

"Sit."

Inuyasha obediently slammed himself into the ground after hearing the word from Kagome.

Kagome sighed and went to Inuyasha's side. "Stop it or I'm going to do it again." She warned him then turned to Kouga. "Please Kouga-kun, try not to fight with Inuyasha anymore." She pleaded, hoping to stop the two from fighting every time they saw each other.

Inuyasha pulled himself off the ground and shot an annoyed look at Kagome. "Why the hell do you need to beg to that wimpy wolf?.! And you! Why do you always have to hold her hands?.! Damn it!" He took Kagome's hands away and pulled her away from the wolf _youkai_ prince. "If you don't want to get killed, stay a good distance from Kagome, got that?.!"

Kouga ignored Inuyasha completely and gave a devoted look to Kagome. "Don't worry Kagome, I'll spare this dog-face's life for you. Someday, you don't need to deal with him anymore. I'll be taking you with me."

"Stupid! Do you really think that someday will come?.! Don't fool yourself!" Inuyasha quickly snapped, smirking at Kouga.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"Keh!"

Kagome sighed mentally and thought, _"He's so stubborn." _Finally, Kagome noticed that Kouga's two companions were not with him. "Kouga-kun, where's Ginta and Hakkaku?" She inquired.

"I sent them to a mission." Kouga answered simply. "I was about to meet them when I saw you so I thought of visiting you for a while." A smile was on his face as he talked to Kagome.

_"Annoying bastard… Why the hell does Kagome have to be friendly with him?.! He should have just gone with his own business instead of appearing here!" _Inuyasha thought, staying beside Kagome as he glowered at the male _youkai _in front of him. He couldn't just leave the two alone. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kagome—the one he didn't trust at all was Kouga. _"He might kidnap Kagome if I leave him alone with her." _He thought, watching every move Kouga made. Then he heard something that made him really mad—if only he could rip Kouga into smithereens…

"Kouga-kun, would you like to eat lunch with us?" Inuyasha heard Kagome say nicely.

"WHAT?.!" He immediately burst out, unable to believe Kagome's words. He turned to Kouga and threatened him. "You wimpy wolf, don't you dare say ye—"

"Sure, Kagome."

_"Damn." _

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Miroku and Shippou arrived shortly with an ample supply of wood to create fire. A few minutes after, Sango and Kirara had also returned. Both couples had a surprised expression on their faces when they saw Inuyasha and Kouga _not_ fighting.

"Kagome-chan, how did you manage to keep them from fighting?" Sango asked, looking amused.

"Them?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha and Kouga, who were sitting on either side of the blanket with arms folded proudly over their chests. She sighed and continued preparing lunch. "They _were_ fighting a while ago… I'm just lucky because they stopped when I told them to stop." She said.

"It must be pretty hard for you. Those two are so hot-tempered and stubborn." Sango told her friend.

"Yeah, Inuyasha won't give up the fight." Kagome agreed.

"You know him. He's just being protective."

"I know, but sometimes he's exaggerating things." Kagome glanced at the two then sighed. _"Boys. They're so hard to understand." _

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"You're also giving him ramen?.!" Inuyasha looked appalled as Kagome gave Kouga a cup of noodles.

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, we only have ramen. All of us are eating ramen." She explained patiently like she was talking to a little kid.

"Keh! You shouldn't have invited him to eat with us in the first place!" Inuyasha said crabbily, gripping his chopsticks tighter.

"Inuyasha, it's just a cup of ramen, okay? You shouldn't be making such a big deal out of it." She tried her best to make Inuyasha stop his complaining. All she wanted was to eat peacefully.

Everyone else was just watching silently, looking interested with every event that was occurring—but not in an obvious way.

"Who said I was making a big deal out of it?.!" Inuyasha asked, his temper slowly rising.

"Never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything." It was starting to tire Kagome. She would never win against Inuyasha. _"Kagome, just shut up, okay?.!" _She mentally told herself.

"Keh!"

She sighed inwardly at Inuyasha's last comment. _"Finally."_

Just when Kagome thought it was over, Kouga suddenly spoke with his eyes glowering at Inuyasha.

"Hey dog-face! How dare you shout at my woman while I'm with her!" Kouga growled, placing the empty cup of noodles on the blanket. Apparently, he was finished eating and now he wanted to do something _more_ interesting.

"_What?._!" Inuyasha also put his cup down and looked fiercely at the wolf _youkai_. _"Why the hell do you always have to say that Kagome is your woman?.! Damn it! She isn't fucking YOURS!" _He repeatedly said in his mind.

Kagome was getting extremely nervous with the course the two hotheaded boys' conversation was heading. One minute more and she was sure that the two would be fighting again—ready to kill each other.

"Are you deaf or what?.! I said stop shouting at my woman!" Kouga said crossly, standing up.

Inuyasha also stood up, flexing his claws. "Why you…"

"Inuyasha, stop it!" Kagome also got to her feet and went to Inuyasha. "You mustn't fight with Kouga-kun."

"He's the one who wants to fight! I'm just granting his wish." The _hanyou _reasoned out, never lowering his eyes from Kouga.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku said hurriedly. "I can feel Naraku's _youki_."

Inuyasha sniffed the air and quickly unsheathed Tetsusaiga. "It's definitely that bastard!" He muttered then looked at Kouga. "Guess it's your lucky day. You've escaped my wrath." He told him, smirking disdainfully.

"As if I wanted to escape, dog turd!" Kouga replied, sneering. "Be glad your life was spared." He also got ready to fight Naraku.

"Whatever, wimpy wolf." Inuyasha replied uninterestedly. "I'm the one who will kill Naraku."

"You wish."

Inuyasha ignored Kouga's comment and glanced at Kagome, who was beside him. "Kagome, stay beside me." He told her. "I'll protect you." He added sincerely.

Kagome nodded, grabbing her bow and arrows. _"Thank you, Inuyasha." _She thought then looked around for their enemy.

But there was no sign of Naraku. The green grass field was empty except for them.

"Bastard! Show yourself!" Inuyasha shouted.

x

"Let's see then…" A voice from nowhere said. "How much power is _left_ in that girl." A man covered in baboon coat placed one Shikon shard on the forehead of the _youkai_ beside him. "Kill them."

And the _youkai_ was off.

x

A feral roar echoed through the whole area.

Everyone turned their heads to the source of the sound and saw a three-eyed mountain leopard _youkai_ a few meters from them. It was slowly striding towards them, eyes gleaming predatorily.

"Is that one of Naraku's _youkais_?" Shippou asked, gulping.

"He reeks like Naraku." Kouga said, scrunching his nose in revulsion.

The leopard _youkai_ stopped for a second then rushed towards them—fast.

"Shit! It's fast!" Inuyasha said, quickly carrying Kagome and jumping out of the _youkai's_ reach.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango threw her weapon at the _youkai _but the _youkai_ easily dodged it. "It's too fast!" A noise coming from above distracted Sango. She looked up and gasped. "There's a swarm of _youkai _heading this way!"

"I'll take care of them!" Miroku said, taking off the rosary of his air void and readying it.

"Don't do it, Miroku-sama! There are Saimyoushou!" Kagome called out, looking worriedly at the poisonous _youkai _insects hovering above them.

Miroku gritted his teeth in defeat and quickly returned the rosary around his hand.

"We have to take them head on!" Inuyasha said, swinging Tetsusaiga towards the horde of _youkais_. Inuyasha took Kagome again and brought her to Sango and the others. "Just stay here. I'll finish this bunch of _youkais_ with Kaze no Kizu!" He said to Kagome.

While everyone was busy fighting, a certain _youkai _was apart from the crowd of _youkais_. The leopard _youkai_ seemed to have only one target—Kagome. It paced silently towards Kagome with its fangs showing and its eyes glimmering ferociously.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango exclaimed. She couldn't help her friend because she was still battling with a huge slithering _youkai_.

"Don't worry, I'll be all right." Kagome assured her friend, quickly drawing an arrow from her quiver. She placed the arrow in her bow and held the string, ready to release it.

Inuyasha saw that Kagome was in danger and he was about to go to her side when a _youkai_ blocked his way. _"Shit! Kagome!"_ His heart was beating fast as he saw the leopard _youkai _attacking—ready to pounce at Kagome. "Get out of my fucking way!" He swerved Tetsusaiga violently, cutting the _youkai_ immediately. He immediately rushed to help Kagome but he was too far to save her in time. "Kagome, come on! Shoot your arrow!" He called out desperately to her.

Kagome just froze in her position, arrow not leaving her bow. _"I-I can't…" _

A flash of brown went to Kagome's side and hurriedly took her just in time before the _youkai_ slammed on the ground where Kagome was standing a second ago.

"Kagome, are you all right?" Kouga asked, setting Kagome on her feet.

Kagome looked shaken but she nodded. "Thank you, Kouga-kun." She said meekly.

Inuyasha hastened to Kagome's side, worry all over his face. "Kagome, were you hurt?.!" He asked frantically.

She shook her head then looked at the bow and arrow on her hands. "Inuyasha… My _miko_ powers… _they're gone_."

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A/N: Hehe… I'm back with the evil cliffie! Sorry, I just had to end it here… Anyway, I'll update as soon as I get lots and lots of review! –insert a smiley here since is messing up with the smileys- Thank you for reading again! BTW, I retained most of the Japanese terms for the attacks in Inuyasha series. I hope that's all right. If you don't understand one of the words, just e-mail me and I'll be glad to explain so you will understand! Here's the list of my best reviewers for Chapter 17:

**Saikoubi Sama – **I like the fact that you've been honest with me. I'm really sorry for taking so long! Please forgive me. By the way, I already updated before your birthday, see?

**YuniX-2 – **Your review was very nice. I'm glad that you share your opinion about my story. But I would also like to defend my point, Inuyasha is confused right? He's thinking about EVERYTHING that has happened and all the possibilities too about his decision. I think you found this OOC because Inuyasha has not yet done some VERY VERY serious thinking in the series. Oh well, this is just the way I thought Inuyasha would be thinking. I know that I can't convince everyone to believe me. I respect your opinion. Thank you for the nice feedback! –insert a happy face here-

**Ryuki-Chan – **I appreciate readers who read my fanfic devotedly that they spend couple of nights awake just to finish reading. Thank you so much. I'm so touched! –insert teary-eyed smiley here- I'm glad you liked my fanfic!

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Submit a review okay? Review! Review! Review! YAY!


	19. The Battle for Kagome's Life

A/N: I just want to say one thing: YOU GUYS ARE SO GREAT! Thank you very very very much for all the warm and touching reviews! Read the A/N below 'cause I've dropped a few lines for all of my wonderful sweet reviewers! And now, here's the next installment and I hope all of you will enjoy the fighting scene here… I really tried to make it action-filled but I think it's not that good. Please bear with me. -smiles apologetically-

Wow… -insert amused smiley here- I can't believe I made a short author's note this chapter! Hehehe… It's because I'm thanking my readers at the bottom… LOL! I finally got a copy of Sayonara Ashita no Tame ni! You know, the song played when Kikyou died? It's really so good! You better get one too! And at last! I finally got the CD of Best of Inuyasha II! It's got all the songs compiled there! A must-have for Inuyasha fanatics like us! –giggles madly-

Okay… so it's not a short A/N now… -.-'

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Disclaimer: Don't you get tired of reading this same line every time I update? –sigh- Anyway, I DoN't OwN iNuYaShA. Yes, I already said it so don't sue me.

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Chapter 19

**_The Battle for Kagome's Life _**

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"What?.!" That was the only word that escaped Inuyasha's mouth after hearing Kagome's words.

Kagome looked up into Inuyasha's eyes, fear and confusion clearly visible in her brown eyes. "I-I can't shoot purifying arrows anymore—Inuyasha! It's coming!" Kagome suddenly gasped, seeing the leopard _youkai _heading towards their direction—fast.

"Hey! What the hell do you think are you doing?.!" Inuyasha ranted, shooting dagger glares at Kouga.

Kouga was already running away from the _youkai_—with Kagome in his arms. "I'm just saving Kagome, you idiot!" He called out.

Kagome's eyes widened as the _youkai _got closer. A few more seconds and Inuyasha would get hurt. "Inuyasha! Move!" She cried out.

Immediately, the _hanyou_ leaped to avoid its sharp claws and kicked it hard, making it sprawl on the ground—lifeless. Then he landed briskly beside Kouga and glowered at him. "You can put her down _now_." He said, gritting his teeth hard and showing his fangs.

Kouga smirked but he let Kagome down gently. "Heh! You really look like a dog when you growl like that." He scoffed, wearing a smug grin.

"Why the hell did you take Kagome with you?.!" The _hanyou_ barked.

"Just what the hell did you expect me to do?.! Escape alone and watch Kagome die?.!" Kouga retorted.

"Um, excuse me but there are still…" Kagome sighed in defeat as she looked at the two hot-tempered boys fighting in front of her. It was useless trying to talk to them right now. They were too occupied with their quarrel. Everything else was thrown aside. _"Don't they know that the battle isn't finished yet?.!" _She thought.

"I'm going to protect her, you idiot!" Inuyasha's reply was quick and certain.

"And what gives you the right to protect her?.!" Kouga's eyes pierced Inuyasha, challenging him.

Inuyasha paused but quickly thought of a comeback. "And what's _your _right to protect her?.!" It was easier to return Kouga's question than to answer his question.

"What the hell's wrong with you?.! Kagome's my woman; it's _my_ duty to protect her." The wolf _youkai _prince responded like it was a world-known fact.

Inuyasha's blood boiled. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you that she's _not_ yours?.!" He said, looking very pissed off.

Kouga was about to reply again but something moving behind Inuyasha stopped him. Instead he said, "Your kick didn't finish the job." He prepared himself to attack the _youkai_ growling a few meters from Inuyasha while grumbling, "This _youkai_ doesn't know how to quit." He was about to charge when Inuyasha blocked his way. "What the—"

"Don't," said Inuyasha, spinning around to face the leopard _youkai_. "I'll be the one to finish this. You protect Kagome for a while." Inuyasha placed Tetsusaiga in front of him defensively.

"Now you're letting me protect Kagome?" Kouga said, looking amused.

"Keh! Shut up!" Inuyasha said in irritation. "I said 'for a while'. It's not like I'm giving her to you!" Then he dashed towards the enemy, aiming to kill the _youkai _once and for all. "Take this! Kaze no Kizu!" A strong rush of energy coming from Tetsusaiga went through the _youkai_, turning it into dust. Finally, it was dead.

x

"Eh? They're leaving?" Sango observed as the few remaining _youkais_ retreated towards the heavens, including the Saimyoushou. A single Saimyoushou flew towards the place where the leopard _youkai_ perished and picked up a glowing pink fragment.

"Ah! It has a Shikon fragment!" Shippou exclaimed, pointing at the Saimyoushou that was now flying away.

"Wait!" Inuyasha tried to run after it but it was too high to reach. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, glaring at the escaping insect _youkai_.

"Kirara, let's go!" Sango quickly rode her loyal fire cat companion and went after the Saimyoushou. She quickly threw Hiraikotsu towards the insect _youkai_ and vanquished it. The single shard of Shikon no Tama that it was carrying started falling but Sango caught it right on time.

"Did you get it?" Miroku asked, standing beside Kirara while Sango dismounted from her.

"Yes." Sango answered briefly then went to Kagome. "Here." She placed the polluted fragment on Kagome's cupped hands. "I think you need to purify it."

"Okay…" Kagome stared at the Shikon shard on her hands for a while, waiting for the pink shard to stop emitting a tainted aura. But it still remained to glow slightly black—meaning it still had some evil aura. _"What's happening?.?.?"_ Her mind was very confused with all that was happening to her. First, she couldn't fire purifying arrows anymore. And now she couldn't purify the Shikon shard?.! _"I forgot! I didn't even sense the shard's presence in the leopard youkai a while ago!" _She mentally added in her head. _"Does this really mean that I have lost my miko powers?.!" _

Shippou jumped to Kagome's shoulder and stared at the Shikon shard on her hands. "Hey, it's not getting purified." He observed the fragment that was still shining black.

"What?.!" Sango and Miroku immediately went to look at the fragment too. Kouga threw a glare at Inuyasha's way before checking out the piece of Shikon no Tama too.

But Inuyasha wasn't looking at Kouga at that time. He just remained on his position with his head bowed down while he clenched his fists tightly. _"Did Kagome really…" _

**Inuyasha hastened to Kagome's side, worry all over his face. "Kagome, were you hurt?.!" He asked frantically. **

**She shook her head then looked at the bow and arrow on her hands. "Inuyasha… My _miko_ powers… _they're gone_." **

He raised his head to glance at Kagome and saw that her eyes were also looking at him. _"Kagome…" _

"Inuyasha…" His ears heard her spoke his name softly, guilt in her features. "I'm sor—"

"Don't say it!" He snapped, tightening his fists. His heart seemed like it was getting stabbed repeatedly as he looked at her. Kagome was actually apologizing for something she didn't have control of doing. Why did she have to suffer every miserable thing possible? This was his entire fault—never Kagome's. If only he was able to save Kagome at that time…

Kagome looked into Inuyasha's eyes more persistently. "But Inuyasha, I lost my _miko _powers. I can't fire purifying arrows anymore. I can't purify the Shikon shard anymore…" She now had her hands on her sides, clutching the Shikon shard on one of her hands. "I can't even sense them. I'm already useless." That was the painful truth that was bugging her at that moment. She wouldn't be able to help anyone anymore. She couldn't help Inuyasha anymore. Would Inuyasha still want her around?

_"Kagome-chan…" _Sango wanted so much to comfort her friend. She wanted to say something that would ease her friend's misery but she found no words that could do the job. It seemed like even a thousand words would not be able to bring even a bit comfort; all she could do was feel sorry for her.

"Will you stop talking like it's your fault?.!" Inuyasha said abruptly, eyes looking towards her. "None of this is your fault, Kagome." He said—with a gentler tone this time—as he tore his eyes away from her. He couldn't endure looking into Kagome's eyes anymore. Guilt was slowly increasing in his heart the longer he looked at Kagome's eyes.

"Of course it's not her fault, Inuyasha." A voice out of nowhere said, followed by an evil mocking laugh.

"Naraku!"Inuyasha had quickly recognized his voice the moment he spoke. He tilted his head above and spotted Naraku, who was suspended in midair and surrounded by his insect _youkais_.

Smirking, he slowly descended and landed on the ground silently. "It's all your fault, Inuyasha." He said knowingly, enjoying the mixed emotions on Inuyasha's face. He could clearly see anger and guilt in his golden yellow eyes.

"You bastard…" Inuyasha growled as he glared at Naraku more intensely. Never taking his eyes off Naraku, he slowly walked to Kagome's side while holding Tetsusaiga protectively in front of him. If Naraku attacked, he should be near Kagome to protect her.

"So now you're trying to protect her? It still won't change the fact that you weren't able to protect her at that time…"

"Shut up!" Even though Inuyasha hated Naraku with his whole heart and soul, what he had said was right—and his words had intensified the guilt that Inuyasha felt in his heart immensely. _"Damn it…" _He mentally cursed, gripping Tetsusaiga firmly in his hand.

"So now you're guilty?" He said derisively. "You should be." He added to make Inuyasha suffer even more. He really liked the fact that he was causing Inuyasha more pain and sufferings—not to mention someone else was suffering too. He took a quick glance at Kagome before looking at Inuyasha again.

Kagome was hearing every word that Naraku had said against Inuyasha while she watched the _hanyou_ with sympathy. If Inuyasha wasn't going to defend himself, she would be the one to defend him. She wouldn't allow Naraku to hurt Inuyasha freely. Never. "You're wrong! It's not Inuyasha's fault! You monster! It's your fault! You were the one who kidnapped me!" She shouted at Naraku fiercely.

Naraku slowly shifted his gaze to Kagome and smirked. "So… your memory has returned..." His voice sounded rather amused at Kagome. Then he continued, "and you still stick up for this irresponsible weakling?"

Kagome's eyes glared at Naraku without any fear. "I told you it's not Inuyasha's fault." She said the words clearly and forcefully.

Inuyasha didn't understand why Kagome was willing to defend him even in times like this. It was really his fault. She should hate him for that—not protect him. _"Kagome… why?"_

Naraku just smiled scathingly at Kagome's words. "Not his fault? Don't you remember the one who wasn't able to save you? Who was it? Wasn't it Inuyasha?" He smiled victoriously when he saw Kagome's hands tightened on her sides. "Because Inuyasha didn't come to save you, what happened? I was able to control you. You even killed innocent villagers. Where was Inuyasha all that time?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "I have killed… people…?" Her voice was quivering when she asked the question. She turned her head to look at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, did I really…?"

"Don't believe him, Kagome! You weren't able to kill them! Don't you remember? You were able to save them!" Inuyasha said, a little confused at the way Kagome was acting. _"Didn't she just recover her memory?"_

"You liar! Kagome didn't kill any villagers! She was still able to control herself at that time!" Sango shouted to defend Kagome. "Kagome never really wanted to do that! You were manipulating her!" She continued, looking angrily at Naraku.

"The fact that she had hurt a lot of people still remains—whether she did it on purpose or not is not in question." Naraku replied, not taking his eyes of Kagome. "And don't you remember that you even tried to kill your precious friends—especially Inuyasha?"

_"What?.! How…?" _Kagome's mind was getting really getting messed up now. _"Why can't I remember those things?" _Then out of the blue, pictures suddenly flashed in her head. She could see Inuyasha in one picture with a huge wound, looking hurt and sad. There was a picture of a lot of people running. Blood was present—and a lot of ice. People were screaming as they run for their lives. Their eyes were filled with fear. Then a delighted _evil_ laughter. Was that her? _"Why am I laughing?.!" _Kagome wondered helplessly, not having any clue of the things she was seeing in her mind.

**"Good! A lot of playmates! We're going to have so much fun!" **

**"The _Ice Lady_ is here!"**

**"Yeah, I'm here. And I'm going to _kill all of you_!" And then an evil giggle filled the air. **

She flung her hands to her head and closed her eyes. _"No, stop it already!" _

x

Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore. He wouldn't just stand there and watch Naraku tell things to hurt Kagome. He quickly raced towards Naraku with Tetsusaiga, ready to finally fight with him. "Bastard, stop messing with Kagome!" He snarled viciously as he swerved Tetsusaiga to his direction. _"You're going to pay for all the pain Kagome has suffered!" _

Naraku didn't have any difficulty in avoiding Inuyasha's attack. He simply jumped out of the way, increasing his distance from Inuyasha. "Instead of attacking me, you should be more concerned with your useless _miko_." He said callously, looking at Kagome with interest, while Inuyasha ran back to Kagome. _"She hasn't remembered everything yet. Now's the perfect time to kill her. Her miko powers are not present to protect her." _He recalled the time when he had tried to kill Kagome back when she was with him in his castle.

**Kagome was sleeping innocently on the soft _futon_, unaware of Naraku's presence. **

**"Now you die, annoying girl." He encircled his hand on Kagome's frail neck then tightened his grip on it. **

**Kagome began choking, her hands trying weakly to release Naraku's grasp on her neck. Then a burst of _miko_ power came out of her hands, making Naraku withdraw his hand immediately. **

**Naraku looked down on his hand and saw it sizzling from the burn he had received. It was like having his hand on fire. He returned his gaze on Kagome, who was sleeping peacefully again. _"Damn it! Why can't I kill this miko?.!" _He smirked at the answer he found. _"She really is like Kikyou… I can't kill her unless she loses her miko powers…" _With that thought in his mind, he left the room to figure out another way of killing the _miko_. **

_"Finally now, I'll be able to kill her." _Naraku thought, seeing Kagome as she held her head weakly with her eyes shut tightly. He could clearly see the pain and confusion in her face. _"That's it. Suffer like hell before you die." _He scorned mentally at Kagome.

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"Kagome-sama, what's wrong?.!"

"Kagome-chan, what's happening to you?.!"

"Kagome, are you all right!"

"Kagome, talk to us! Kagome!"

"Kagome!"

Kagome could hear a lot of voices speaking to her. She knew those voices—those were the voices of her friends.

"Kagome! Kagome! Talk to me!"

And that was Inuyasha. Kagome wanted so much to do what Inuyasha had told her—to talk to him. She wanted to reassure everyone's worries but her voice was not cooperating. Next, she saw another picture in her head.

**"Now, die!" Kagome said, lifting the sword to pierce in his chest. **

Kagome obviously knew whose chest it was that she was about to pierce in the picture. It was Inuyasha's.

**Kagome turned around to face Inuyasha, looking straight into his golden eyes. "If you really want to save me, then—" She quickly changed her baton back to a crystal ice sword and stabbed it into Inuyasha's stomach. "Die!" Kagome cried, hatred filled her eyes so much. **

Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she found herself surrounded by her friends, concern all over their faces.

"Kagome-chan, is your head hurting again?" Sango asked, looking thoughtfully at her.

Kagome forced a small smile then answered, "It's okay. I was just seeing some pictures. The pain's gone now."

"No, it's only beginning." Naraku corrected her. He was now standing only a few meters away from the group, wearing a confident smirk on his lips. "Prepare to die now, little _miko_."

Everyone quickly got ready to protect Kagome.

Inuyasha caught Kouga's eyes and told him, "Stay with Kagome. No matter what happens don't leave her. I'll be the one to fight Naraku."

"You don't need to tell me anymore," said Kouga in reply. There was no chance he was going to let Kagome get killed—especially by Naraku.

"Keh!" Inuyasha was about to approach Naraku when he felt someone holding the sleeve of his _haori_. He turned his head to find Kagome looking at him with great worry.

Kagome's brown eyes looked at Inuyasha with full concern. "Inuyasha, I'm—"

"Don't be afraid, Kagome." Inuyasha interrupted her. "I told you I won't let Naraku near you again. He will never get you." He took Kagome's hand gently off his red _haori_ and left to protect the girl he vowed to defend with his life. _"I promise that, Kagome." _He looked fiercely at Naraku and said, "Bastard! You're going to die today!"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, still the worry and hurt in her heart wouldn't subside. _"Inuyasha…I'm not afraid…" _It wasn't what she had wanted to tell Inuyasha. _"What I wanted to say was… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being useless to you…" _

She looked at the arrow in her hand intently, trying to focus her energy on the thin article but it was hopeless. She couldn't feel her _miko _powers anymore. She couldn't defend herself anymore. _"Please! I need my miko powers now!"_ She begged desperately, knowing that a fight was about to commence.

And the battle began. Not only Inuyasha was fighting for Kagome's safety—everyone was.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha tried to cut Naraku but was immediately stopped by his barrier. "Damn it…" He cursed, trying to cut through the irritating barrier.

Naraku smiled evilly then changed his hand into a tentacle and wounded Inuyasha's abdomen. "You can't defeat me, Inuyasha." He said scornfully, withdrawing his hand.

"Inuyasha!"

It was Kagome. Inuyasha knew it was her. And knowing her, he knew that Kagome was planning to go to him. "Stay there!" He shouted, holding the bleeding wound with his hand while he continued to clasp Tetsusaiga with the other hand.

x

"Naraku!" Sango tossed Hiraikotsu towards Naraku but Naraku easily pushed it aside with one hand. Kirara was badly hurt by the cut she received on one of her legs when she had attacked Naraku. She couldn't stand up anymore. Losing her primary weapon, Sango gripped her sword strongly to protect herself. They needed to win this battle. _"Or else Kagome will die…No, I won't allow it!" _She dashed towards Naraku, trying to pierce her sword or at least wound him. But Naraku was fast and he caught Sango's neck before she could even swing her sword. After she had dropped her sword, Naraku flung her away, making Sango's body fly and hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Sango!" Miroku immediately rushed towards Sango, praying repeatedly that she was all right. He was about to reach her when something stabbed him on his left shoulder. He quickly grasped his wounded shoulder and turned to see Naraku's arm had transformed into a pointed tentacle to pierce his shoulder. "Naraku!" He winced as he began to feel the pain seep through his body. He walked weakly towards Sango and collapsed beside her.

Everything was starting to get blurred in Miroku's eyes. The last thing he saw was Sango's unconscious form beside him. He tried to reach his hand to touch Sango's face but his arm felt too heavy. _"Sango… please be alive…"_ Then, all went black.

x

Kagome saw everything happen and she couldn't do anything except watch. She obeyed Inuyasha when he told her not to come but when she saw Sango being thrown by Naraku, she knew she couldn't just stand there and watch. Even though she couldn't fight, she should still be doing something—even just to see her friends' condition. "Sango-chan!" Kagome was about to run to aid her friend when Kouga stopped her.

"Don't go there, Kagome! He's after you!" Kouga tried to stop her.

Kagome pulled her hand from his grasp; her eyes were filled with tears as they looked at Kouga. "They're my friends, Kouga-kun! I can't just watch them dying because they had to protect me!"

"But you'll be killed!" He protested.

Kagome had just seen Miroku fall after being pierced by Naraku's arm. "Miroku-sama! I don't care about getting killed! I don't mind dying as long as I wouldn't see my friends getting hurt!" She hurried towards Sango and Miroku, not minding Kouga's attempts to call her back.

x

Kouga knew it was pointless to argue with Kagome. Once Kagome had decided on something, she wouldn't let anyone stop her—especially when it concerned her friends. Kagome's heart was always caring and worrying about her friends. That was one of the qualities that Kouga had loved about her. And that was the reason he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her—he loved her.

Immediately, he ran after Kagome.

x

"Now Inuyasha, it's just you and me once again. Don't worry; I'll kill your beloved _miko_ first before I kill you." Naraku's eyes looked to the right. "Good, she's coming this way." He quickly moved towards Kagome, readying his tentacle to take Kagome's life.

_"Shit! He's fast!" _Inuyasha instantly followed but Naraku was way ahead of him. "Get back here, you bastard! Don't come near her!" He shouted angrily. "Kagome! Watch out!"

Kagome broke from her run when she heard Inuyasha shout her name. When she turned her head, Naraku's tentacle was already near her. Her legs were glued to the ground and she couldn't run away.

"Kagome!" Someone shouted.

Just in time, Kouga got Kagome before Naraku's appendage reached her.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome was surprised to find herself on Kouga's arms.

"See what I told you! You almost got killed back there!" Kouga scolded her. He settled Kagome to her feet then all of a sudden, a tentacle wrapped around Kouga's neck.

"Thought you could escape me?"

"Kagome, run!" Kouga managed to say while choking on his breath.

"Fool!" Naraku pierced his other hand in Kouga's stomach before casting him away. "Now, it's your turn!" He turned to Kagome.

Kagome started to run but Naraku's tentacle was getting closer to her.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha came right in time to cut the limb that was about to reach Kagome. Putting himself between Kagome and Naraku, Inuyasha glared at Naraku menacingly and growled, "Don't you dare to touch her, bastard!"

"You can't do anything to stop me, Inuyasha." Naraku smiled wickedly. "You won't be able to protect her from me. Like _before_."

That was it. Inuyasha was getting really pissed off. He was serious about protect Kagome this time and he'd prove it. He hastened towards Naraku, ready to slash him to death. "I'll be able to protect Kagome!" He said determinedly as he dropped Tetsusaiga's blade to Naraku's body.

Naraku just smirked at him, instantly conjuring a barrier to protect himself. "You have to kill me then." He said, challenging Inuyasha confidently.

"That's what I intend to do!" With that said, Inuyasha increased the force he exerted on Tetsusaiga. _"I'm not letting you hurt Kagome again!" _Inuyasha's strength and power began to increase greatly. Finally, he broke Naraku's barrier.

"What the—?.!" Naraku couldn't believe that Inuyasha had just shattered his barrier.

"Now you're really going to die!" Inuyasha roared, raising Tetsusaiga to deliver the final strike.

"Damn it!" Naraku quickly moved away to prevent himself from getting completely destroyed. Half of his upper body was damaged by Inuyasha's attack but he was able to escape. _"You'll pay for this one, Inuyasha!" _He gave one last look at Inuyasha before letting his Saimyoushou take him away.

"Get back here, Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted furiously. _"Why did I let him run away?.!" _He grumbled in his mind.

"Inuyasha, please stop it." Kagome appealed, worrying about him.

_"Kagome…" _Inuyasha knew Kagome was very worried about them so he didn't try to argue anymore. He simply walked towards Miroku and Sango, saying, "Kagome, you better treat them fast. They might be in danger."

Kagome nodded quickly and said, "Wait, I'll just get my—"

"Don't bother, Kagome! I already got them!" Shippou said, handing Kagome's medicine kit.

"Thanks, Shippou-chan." Kagome said, smiling. "Can you give me a hand here?"

"Sure, Kagome!"

x

Kagome and Shippou worked long and very hard to treat Miroku and Sango's wounds. It was a good thing that Miroku's wound was not that deep and far from his heart; he would be able to survive. Sango was lucky that she didn't hit her head hard when she landed on the ground. She had many bruises but she wasn't in great danger like Kagome had thought.

"Are you finished there?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, we're done." Kagome answered and turned to look at Inuyasha. _"Inuyasha…" _She was taken aback when she saw Inuyasha standing in front of her, carrying Kirara's small form—and _Kouga_.

Inuyasha felt his cheeks burning at Kagome's reaction. "What?.!" He demanded, trying hard not to blush even more. He handed Kirara carefully to Shippou so she can be treated.

Kagome gave out a smile. "Nothing…"

"Keh!" He placed Kouga beside Miroku and turned his back at Kagome.

Kagome's smile was still not disappearing. "Inuyasha, thank you…" She said gratefully.

Inuyasha didn't turn to look at Kagome anymore. "Keh! Don't thank me anymore. I'm not doing it again!" He griped.

"It's okay, I still want to thank you." Kagome replied, looking at Inuyasha. He was still not looking at her. She just shrugged, still smiling at the little good deed that Inuyasha had done, then she started nursing Kouga.

_"It's the only thing I can do to repay him… for saving someone precious to me." _Inuyasha thought, finally looking at Kagome.

Kagome didn't see it but Inuyasha was wearing a smile. A grateful smile that he hadn't lost her.

x

Back at Naraku's castle, Naraku sat on the floor, looking at his damaged side. _"Damn you, Inuyasha! I'm really going to kill the miko next time… As long as she doesn't have her miko powers back, I'll be able to kill her. And I'm going to make you suffer the pain you suffered before—the pain of losing a loved one."_

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A/N: You know what to do next, right? Before that, here's my response to the reviews last chapter!

Chiisana Anisa- We're the same! I don't like one-shots that rush things up… Thanks for reading my story! Hope you read till the end!

Mew-xena- Um, you hate Kouga? I actually love him because he gives a nice chance for Inu/Kag fluff! Hehehe… Anyway, about her powers… well, it's really gone… thanks for the review!

Destiny – Nice name! Your review was really nice… Made me feel so special! Thank you too for being there to read the fanfic I'm doing.

Shangxiang10- Sorry to keep you hanging… I just missed putting cliffies so I placed one there… Forgive me?

Saikoubi Sama- Wow! You're one of those few who loved my cliffie! Thanks! Yay! You forgive me already! –dances happily in front of my pc-

Inferna- You're back! Yeah, thanks for saying that Inu's not OOC. I really needed someone to comfort me… Thanks!

Kagomes daughter- Don't worry I'm really finishing this… Just you wait! Thanks for the review!

Tennyo Kameko- Thanks for the wonderful review! Um about the why question… um, well, she lost her powers… that's all… Hehehe…

Rayoko- Wow! A bunny! That's really neat! Now you have to review because I got a new chappie!

Chibineko192- o.o wow… you're really hyper! So cute! Anyway, well… about what happened to Kag… she lost her powers… that's all… (I'm getting lame in answering my reviews, sorry)

Hersheykiss1012- Hehe… sorry 'bout the cliffie. I'm glad you're still there! Thank you so much for being around!

Kitsune Kii- Thanks for the constant reviews! I hope you'll review till the end, okay? Yehey! You agreed! Hehe…

Claire- I don't have so many great ideas… Just this one. –smiles- Thanks for the review!

Sadako sasaki- Thanks for adding it to your faves! I always feel honored when my readers do that!

Animemistress149- hehe… sorry for bugging you with the e-mail. Thank you VERY VERY VERY much for all the reviews! I feel so touched when I read them… And about your question how Inu and Kag communicated way back in Chapter 9, it's going to be revealed at the end! I'm glad you noticed that! You're the first one to ask me that! You're a very observant reader. Please update Winter Hanyou soon, I'm really looking forward to read another chapter of that fanfic!

RyoSanada1717- Thanks for coming back and still being there. I know I've been long gone… Sorry about that… I'm glad you still like the fanfic… And as for the cliffies, I really can't get enough of them! But I haven't placed one here. I'm being nice today. –smiles sweetly-

Pan24- Thanks for reviewing! I really have a hard time making fluffy moments for Inu and Kag that won't make Inuyasha ooc… I'm glad someone is really appreciating the effort I'm giving!

Sexy-hanyou-fa-sho- Any other stories? I have two other but it's just short… but almost like Stay only Stay is longer… One is a one-shot and the other is a two-chappie… Maybe you can read that too if you like… I was really flattered (I turned into a puddle!) with your review! It made me feel so great! And for a starting writer, you should start a fanfic then post it here to see how you're doing. Readers here in are there to help you improve… First step is you should find a topic that you're really interested then collect ideas. Make sure that when you write the story, you know enough details to make the story interesting and alive. Also, check your grammar and spelling. I know it's hard to be perfect but errors must be minimal. If you start writing, e-mail me and I'll read your work for you and tell you what I think of it! Hope that would give you some tips…

Ryuki-Chan- You're welcome! I really liked the effort you gave for reading Stay. Thank you so much!

Kinchi- Wow! You're back! Hehehe… Yeah, I know. Sorry it took me so long… Thanks for understanding me with the cliffie thingy… We authors just love using them at times… -winks-

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Phew! What a long response for reviewers! My fingers are aching… hehehe… Not that I'm complaining. Okay! That's the last appearance of Naraku so say bye-bye to him! I don't want to see him again so I flushed him in our toilet. But who knows? He might be back again… -dundundun… suspense!-


	20. Indirect Confessions

A/N: I would just like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of my readers. Thank you very much for the nice reviews! After the good stuff, here's the bad stuff. I just received a not-so-nice review—in short, a flame. Oh well, I already used it to cook myself some hotdogs and marshmallows. But I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't send me one like that again—especially because it's not true. Here's the review she sent me:

_You bitch! you mother fucking whore! You fucking stole my idea! You practacly took my story, and changed it a few time. This is so a flame. I wouldn't recemend this to any of my friends! Not even if you paid me $100,0,0,0!You make me sick. You give a bad name to all us authors. You peice of scum. Copy cat! Burn in hell!_

Okay, first of all, if someone is going to flame me—do it properly. 'Cause if you want to express yourself make yourself understandable. One, it's practically NOT practcaly. Two, it's recommend NOT recemend. What's wrong with your keyboard? Three, it's NOT peice, it's piece. Duh! Next, just how did you conclude that I actually stole your idea? This story has been going on for more than a year already (I lost track of time and I don't care) and I have never ever been reported for plagiarism! Actually, I've received lots of review that say this is a NEW idea. Now if you still claim that this is _your _idea, present your proof. I'm ready to defend _my_ story. Third, you're the one that's giving authors here in a bad name. How dare you accuse another author without any valid proof! Lastly, if you're going to flame me, don't hide yourself under an anonymous name! Show your real pen name or are you scared to face me? –smirk- Anyway, I'm still happy to receive a flame. Honestly, I can't believe my story is worthy enough to have a flame. See! I'm thinking positive here. You better get your proofs or I'm suing you for false accusations!

Now, to my readers, if you want faster updates, never do a flame like that. Constructive flames are accepted but flames like that one NEVER encourage writers. It makes them write slower. There's nothing wrong with flames as long as you make sure you have facts to support it. Thank you for listening to me and now let's get on with the chapter. Stay is really ending soon… -sniff-

**YuniX-2** – Yeah, it is very obvious that Inuyasha hates Kouga but Inuyasha is not evil to let Kouga die. If he wants Kouga dead, he wants to do it fairly, meaning in a fight. Not just because he's injured or something… Thanks for asking though, I'm glad to clear things for you.

**Kiara-star **and **Darkestflare** – thanks to both of you for commenting about the 'already' thingy. I already reposted all chapters and I have reduced the 'already' in them. Thanks for your suggestion; I didn't notice that until you told me. Thanks again!

**The Evil Liar** – I'm sorry but I'm used to italicizing Japanese words so I'm sorry if it annoys you. Please bear with me… It's part of my style. Sorry. –smiles apologetically- But thanks for the compliment, I felt very special! Reviews like that makes me go on!

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Disclaimer: That's why this is called _fan_fiction, okay?

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Chapter 20

**_Indirect Confessions _**

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"Inuyasha, come here for a while."

Inuyasha turned his head and looked at Kagome. "What for?"

"I need to put bandages on your wounds." Kagome replied, taking more bandages from her first aid kit. "You were also hurt, right?"

"Keh! I don't need that!" He said uncaringly, folding his arms over his chest. "I heal fast; you're just going to waste your time."

Kagome stood up with all the needed stuffs in her hands and walked towards Inuyasha. "I know it's just a waste of time for you—but I would like to do some help. Even just a little." Her words were soft, a sad smile settling on her lips. "Just let me help you. Please?" Her eyes connected with Inuyasha's, hoping he would finally assent.

The moment Inuyasha had looked into Kagome's eyes, he just knew he couldn't say no. There was something sad about her eyes and she really looked like she wanted to nurse his wounds. _"I guess it's okay to let her take care of me once in a while..." _He thought to himself. "Fine." He mumbled, sitting cross-legged on the grass.

Kagome smiled gratefully and quickly sat in front of Inuyasha to start nursing him.

Inuyasha was slightly blushing as he felt Kagome's hands gently taking off his _haori_. All of a sudden, he seemed to take very much interest on the view at his left—actually, anything as long as it wasn't Kagome. He didn't know why but his heart was beating rather loudly inside his chest that very moment.

Kagome's eyes was filled with sympathy when she saw Inuyasha's bloody wound. _"Just because of me…"_ She carefully cleansed the wound then looked up at Inuyasha. _"You had to suffer like this…" _She took the bandages lying on the grass and spun it around Inuyasha's abdomen with great care. "Inuyasha?"

"What?" He demanded, still not daring to look at Kagome. He could still fell his cheeks burning.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer like this…" She made sure her bangs safely hid her eyes from Inuyasha as she finished putting the bandages. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't—"

"Why do you always have to blame yourself for every miserable thing that's happening?!" He cut in, finally looking at Kagome but she was the one avoiding his gaze now.

"Because it is my fault." She replied with certainty, putting her hands on her lap.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it isn't your fault?!" He grumbled, looking a little mad that Kagome was blaming herself—always.

"But you got hurt because you were pro—"

"It's_ my_ choice to protect you! You never forced me to do that! So will you stop blaming yourself?!" Inuyasha wanted so much to remove the feeling of guilt in Kagome's heart but he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"But I never wanted you to get hurt just because you wanted to protect me!" She argued, raising her head up to look at Inuyasha. Her eyes were watery and tears threatened to fall any second as she stared into Inuyasha's eyes.

"And I don't want you to get hurt again! That's why I'm protecting you!" Inuyasha answered back, clenching his fists. He looked down, covering his amber eyes effectively with his snowy white bangs. "It would hurt me so much more to see you get hurt because I wasn't able to protect you…"

"But you—"

"I _want _to protect you." Inuyasha lifted his head to make eye contact with Kagome. "Let me." He softly added, eyes almost pleading to her.

Kagome's cheeks immediately turned pink at Inuyasha's comment. All of a sudden, she felt at peace when Inuyasha said those words. "You really want to protect me?" She whispered, eyes shyly turning away from him. She felt like melting if she would be staring longer at Inuyasha's golden yellow eyes.

"Do you actually think I'll be glad to take a hole in my stomach if I really don't want to protect you?!" He asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes at Kagome.

Kagome raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at Inuyasha. _"He was supposed to say something sweet, that jerk!" _She thought but still, she felt happy. She didn't need Inuyasha to say something sweet to make her happy. It was enough that he was always there for her. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She smiled another wonderful smile, making Inuyasha forget all the pain in his body.

"_Just as long as I see that smile," _thought Inuyasha, smiling back. _"Everything will be all right…" _

-

"Kagome! Inuyasha!" Shippou called out all of a sudden. "Kouga's coming around!"

"Kouga-kun?!" Kagome hurriedly stood up and went to his side to check on him.

Inuyasha looked at Kouga's direction and scoffed, "Keh!" He wasn't really interested with the wolf _youkai_ so he just stayed put and tugged his _haori_ back on.

-

Kouga's eyes slowly opened and he immediately spotted Kagome's worried face looking at him. "Kagome…" He quickly took her hands in his and said, "I'm so glad you're all right. I'm sorry I made you worry…"

"She wasn't fucking worried, you idiot!" Inuyasha instantly took Kagome's hands away from Kouga's grasp and placed himself between the two of them. "Just why do you have to get her hands every time you have the chance?!"

"And why do you always interfere whenever I get my chance?!" Kouga retorted as he sat up, looking very pissed off.

Inuyasha growled angrily, glaring with pure hatred at Kouga. "I'm beginning—no. I officially regret that I have helped you!" He declared with annoyance clearly etched on his face.

"Just what the hell are you talking about?!" He demanded, not having any clue of what Inuyasha was saying.

"Kouga-kun, Inuyasha was the one who carried you. I didn't even ask him to do that." Kagome explained.

Kouga seemed to have understood because he became silent for a while.

"Keh! Now, you know that you should be grateful to me!" Inuyasha told him, crossing his arms proudly in front of him.

Kouga ignored Inuyasha's words and shivered in disgust. "No wonder I smell like dog shit." He commented, looking like he was going to be sick.

"Do you really think I enjoyed carrying your stinking weak body?!" Inuyasha replied hotly.

"It's not like I really asked you to carry me, dog-face!"

"How could you fucking ask when you were actually knocked out?!"

"Even if I wasn't, I still wouldn't ask for your help!"

"Don't worry because even if you begged me, I wouldn't help you!"

"You always act like you're a great hero…" Kouga stood up, still glowering at Inuyasha. "Then why did you let Kagome fall into Naraku's hands!?" He asked him, his azure eyes flashing with anger. "I would never let that happen to Kagome!"

Inuyasha couldn't answer. He just clenched his hands on his sides, taking every hurtful word Kouga threw at him. He knew he deserved every syllable of those words.

"She trusted you to protect her! What the hell did you do?!" He blamed Inuyasha greatly for Kagome's sufferings. "You _failed_ her—so much!"

"_Inuyasha…"_ Kagome stared worriedly at him.

"Inuyasha! Don't let him put all the blame on you! Say something!!!" Shippou exclaimed, trying to help Inuyasha out.

But Inuyasha wasn't exactly interested in doing anything to defend himself. He just stood there, looking back at Kouga.

"You don't deserve Kagome's loyalty! You don't deserve to be her protector! You don't deserve to be with her and that's why I'm taking her with me." He declared, eyes looking very determined.

Inuyasha didn't say or do anything. All he did was maintain eye contact with Kouga.

"Come on, Kagome." He took a step forward to approach Kagome but Inuyasha quickly stretched his arm to block his way.

"Kagome's not going anywhere." He said the words clearly, making sure every word sunk in Kouga's head.

"She's going with me, you bastard!" He pushed Inuyasha's arm aside and took a step forward.

"Try taking another step and I won't hesitate to cut you into half." He growled lowly, readying his claws.

"Let me se—"

"Kouga-kun…" Kagome suddenly spoke, making both Inuyasha and Kouga stop.

Silence filled the whole place.

"I want to… stay with Inuyasha. It's not his fault. Please don't put all the blame on him…" Kagome whispered as her eyes looked truthfully into Kouga's eyes.

"_Kagome…" _Kouga looked into Kagome's brown eyes, trying to ask her the question that he couldn't voice. _"Why? Why do you wish to stay with him after all of the things that have happened?" _Maybe the answer he was looking for was already obvious but he just didn't want to accept it. _"…why do you love him so much?" _

Inuyasha, on the other hand, completely didn't know Kagome's reason—but he was glad. He was glad that Kagome still chose to stay with him and he promised that he wouldn't make her regret that decision—never.

Kouga stepped back and glared at Inuyasha. "Make sure you protect Kagome, dog turd! Let Kagome die and I will personally kill you—_slowly_ and _painfully_."

"Keh! You don't have to." He replied in a serious tone. _"I would be killing myself when that happens." _

"Hmph!" Kouga folded his arms and looked away from Inuyasha. "Make sure I don't have to."

Kagome's heart sighed in relief._ "Kouga-kun, thank you." _

-

"Inuyasha, it's going to be dark soon. Do you think it's safe for us to stay here in the fields?" Shippou asked, looking troubled as the sun started to sink.

"Shippou's right. The others need to rest too. We should be moving already." Kagome agreed, putting her yellow backpack over her shoulder.

"I've passed by a small shack not far from here. Maybe you could stay there. It looks empty anyway." Kouga suggested. "If we get moving now, we'll be there before dark."

"Will it be all right for us to travel? You're all injured…" Kagome looked slightly hesitant with their idea now.

"We're fine, Kagome." Inuyasha assured her. "The wimpy wolf can walk fine. He doesn't need any help."

"How about Miroku and Sango?"

"Kirara will be carrying them." Shippou told Kagome as Inuyasha started carrying Sango towards the back of the cat _youkai_.

"Wasn't Kirara hurt too?" Kagome asked, looking worried at Kirara's injured leg.

"She's fine now. The wound wasn't that deep. Right, Kirara?" The little kitsune looked up at Kirara with a smile.

Kirara gave a short purr to show that she agreed.

"_Youkais _heal fast Kagome, don't worry anymore." Inuyasha told her, seeing that she wasn't completely convinced yet. He gently rested Miroku beside Sango.

"Are you sure it's safe for Miroku and Sango to travel?"

"Well, it's better than staying here." Inuyasha said.

After a few moments of silence, Kagome finally acceded. "I guess you're right." She said. "Let's hurry then."

-

Kagome stood outside the hut with Inuyasha behind her. "Kouga-kun, thank you for everything. You've been a great help." Kagome smiled.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Kouga said.

Kagome nodded. "You too."

"Bye, Kagome."

"Bye."

Then, he was gone in front of Kagome.

"Weird, he didn't try to grab your hands this time."

Kagome turned her head even though she knew who had said that. It was Inuyasha. "Maybe, he forgot." She answered uninterestedly.

"You miss it?" He asked, trying to look impassive.

"Not really." Kagome replied honestly. She could sense a tinge of jealousy in the _hanyou's _voice. _"Or maybe I'm just imagining things." _She thought at the back of her mind.

"Was that a yes or no?" He didn't know why but he wanted a definite answer.

"What would you like it to be?"

"Keh! Never mind." He tucked his hands inside the red sleeves of his coat and avoided Kagome's gaze.

Kagome shrugged then said, "I'll just go check on the others."

-

Inuyasha was sitting on a wooden bench just in front of the entrance of the cabin. He silently watched the stars while thinking about all that had happened that day. His trail of thoughts was interrupted when Kagome emerged from the shack. "Don't you have any plans of sleeping?" He asked her without tearing his eyes off the starry sky.

"I wanted to talk to you." Kagome said simply then took a seat beside him.

Silence engulfed them when Inuyasha didn't say anything after what Kagome had said.

"Are you mad at me?" It was Kagome who was asking.

Inuyasha turned his head at Kagome with one eyebrow raised. "What gave you the idea that I do?" He questioned her.

"Nothing, just a hunch." She replied. Actually she just didn't know how to start the conversation so she said the first thing that popped out of her mind.

"Well, your hunch is perfectly wrong." He told her, looking back at the sky.

"Oh, okay." Again, the conversation she tried so hard to build was disappearing. Before it completely did, she spoke again. "Inuyasha, can I ask you a favor?"

This time, Kagome got Inuyasha's attention fully because he shifted his eyes again and fixed them on her.

She took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Can you please tell me everything that has happened to me when I was kidnapped by Naraku?" She looked at Inuyasha hopefully, waiting for his important answer.

"Why do you need to know?" He asked.

"Because… I want to know. I _need_ to know." She replied truthfully. She knew deep inside her that she wouldn't be able to live peacefully if she didn't know everything. She_ must_ remember everything.

Inuyasha bowed his head and was silent for a while, thinking things over.

"I have a right to know. They're my memories." She said, wanting so much to convince Inuyasha.

A few more quiet seconds passed before Inuyasha finally raised his head again. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Kagome's heart warmed at Inuyasha's words. He was going to help her. That meant so much to her. "I already remembered the time when Naraku inserted a Shikon shard in my head to control me…" She tried to search her mind again for the unclear pictures. "Then, Naraku placed a necklace around my neck and I heard a girl's voice in my head. The other details are unclear after that."

Inuyasha didn't really like to tell these things to Kagome but she did have a point. It was her _right_ to know. "Well, you only forgot a little. Remember Hikari?" As much as possible, he was trying to make things easier for Kagome to understand.

"She's the kind girl we met in the village before, right?" She answered, recalling a certain scene.

"**Don't act so innocently, _murderer_!" Hikari said, still glaring at Kagome. **

"_So I did kill a lot of people, after all…?" _Kagome frowned at the thought. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart—literally.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha's concerned voice reached Kagome's ears.

Kagome looked back at Inuyasha, eyes wanting to know the truth. "Did I really kill the villagers, Inuyasha? Please tell me the truth." One thing was clear in her eyes—hurt.

"No, you didn't!" Inuyasha quickly answered, seeing the pain in her eyes. "You just made the _Ice Lady_ believe that you killed them but actually you never killed a single person!"

"_Ice Lady_?"

"She was the one that took over your body. She's the one destroying the village, not you Kagome!" He could still see the guilt in Kagome's eyes. "Do you understand me, Kagome?"

Kagome saw more pictures of her wearing a cerulean kimono while she held a baton. _"Is that me? The Ice Lady..." _She wondered as more of her memory returned to her. Along with the things she recalled, the guilt in her heart increased. "But she was still in my body and—"

"It still wasn't you! Don't blame yourself, Kagome!" He felt angry with himself as he looked at Kagome. Again, guilt was eating him. _"If only I was there for her…" _He clenched his hands tightly.

"How can I not blame myself?!" Memories of her previous attempts to kill Inuyasha came back to her. "I have hurt you... so many times." She didn't turn away from him. She continued to look into his eyes as tears fell continuously. She wasn't going to make any effort to stop them. She really needed to cry at that moment. "I remember those scenes clearly now! I saw the hurt in your eyes! I wanted so much to stop myself! I never wanted to hurt you… But I still did… I never wanted to do that..." Kagome felt strong arms pulling her forward and the next thing she knew, Inuyasha was already hugging her.

"Don't talk anymore. I understand." He hugged her tighter, hoping to take away the pain that she felt in her heart. "Please Kagome, stop crying."

But she couldn't. Instead, she cried harder. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry… Please forgive me." She continued to sob on his chest, not knowing what else to do. "I'm really sorry…"

"Ssshh… Don't apologize anymore. I told you it's not your fault." He whispered in her ear. "It wasn't you so you shouldn't apologize. I'm glad you came back to me."

"Inu—"

"Sorry, Kagome. I know you've been waiting for me to save you… I promise I won't leave you alone again. I'll stay with you always from now on." It was the truth. Now that he had made his choice, he knew that Kagome was his choice and would always be.

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha gently and stared into his eyes. _"You also promised Kikyou."_ She wanted to say that to Inuyasha but she hesitated. Maybe now wasn't the right time. She wanted to pretend that what Inuyasha had said was true—even just for tonight. "Thank you, Inuyasha. You don't need to apologize too; I never blamed you…" She whispered, smiling softly at him. She wiped her tears and looked at the stars. Even though it was just a pretend, somehow, Kagome's heart felt really great when Inuyasha had told her those words. How she wished all of those were true…

"Why?"

"Hm?" Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha again.

"Why don't you blame me for all of your sufferings?" He asked, up until now he couldn't understand her.

"_It's because I love you."_ If only she could say those words to him but she knew that Inuyasha could never love her. _"Inuyasha loves Kikyou…" _She thought somberly. _"He could never forget her." _"It's because it's not your fault." She answered him.

"It is my fault!" Inuyasha tried to argue. "If I was able to save you, Naraku wouldn't have used you!"

"Even if it's your fault, I still don't blame you." She simply said.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to. I can't force myself to hate you." She replied, smiling kindly at Inuyasha. "That's why I'm staying with you, remember?"

"I don't think I deserve you…" He said barely louder than a whisper, averting his gaze from Kagome.

Kagome's reply was quick. "That's all right. Even if you think you don't deserve me, I'll still be here." She looked up into the sky once more and smiled. The stars seemed to be brighter at that moment for her.

"Kagome?"

She shifted his eyes to look at Inuyasha but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were looking above—at the stars.

"…Thank you." Inuyasha also thought the stars were more brilliant that moment.

Kagome smiled again then gazed back at the black star-filled sky. Even though they weren't talking to each other anymore, Kagome was contented. It was enough that Inuyasha was beside her. His presence was enough to comfort her and take away all her worries. She wrapped her arms around herself as the night breeze blew softly.

"You really should be putting something thicker, you know." Inuyasha said, taking off his red _haori _and draping it over Kagome's shoulders.

"But Inu—"

"Keep it. I'll be all right." Inuyasha insisted, replacing the red garment on Kagome.

"Thanks." She hugged Inuyasha's _haori_ closer around her, thankful for the warmth that it gave her.

Again, silence returned.

All of a sudden, Inuyasha felt Kagome's head leaning on his shoulder. Thinking that she fell asleep, he just remained silent.

"Is it okay?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked down at Kagome and found out that she was wide-awake. Her eyes were not directed to him but he could see her feelings clearly. She was afraid of something. _"What could that be?" _He mused in his mind.

"I said if it's okay for me to stay." She cleared her previous statement. "I'm of no use to you now… I lost my _miko_ powers and I can't even sense the shards." She looked at the bottle of shards hanging around her neck. Still, one of them stayed tainted black.

"Well, I'm sure you will regain them when time comes." Inuyasha answered in a lay back tone.

"What if I don't get them back?" That thought scared Kagome very much. Inuyasha would probably leave her. "What will you do?" She asked, looking into Inuyasha's eyes.

Inuyasha smirked in return. "Then I'll just throw you off a cliff or maybe leave you here." He replied without much care.

"You'd really do that?!" Kagome looked very horrified at him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Kagome. "Do you seriously think I'd do that?! Just why the hell do you think did I promise that I'd be staying with you always if I was planning to leave you?!" He asked.

Kagome sighed in relief then hit Inuyasha on the head—hard.

"What the hell was that for, bitch?!" Inuyasha demanded, holding his head. "That was painful!" He remarked, glaring at the young _miko_.

"It's because you just scared me to death, you jerk!" She exclaimed, glaring a little at him. "Be glad I didn't punch your stomach!" She muttered, looking annoyed.

"Keh! As if I care about your fucking _miko _powers! I promised to you, didn't I?!" He said, still grasping his injured head. "Don't you have any sense of humor?!"

"_Does that mean he really meant that…?" _Kagome wanted so much to believe Inuyasha but she didn't want to get hurt so she still pushed the thought back. "Well, some people use that sense of humor at the right time! And now is definitely _not_ the right time!" She told him.

"Keh!"

"Jerk." She muttered under her breath.

Inuyasha didn't answer anymore.

Kagome looked at him and saw that his eyes were closed. "Inuyasha?"

"What?" He wasn't asleep but he still had his eyes shut.

"Is it really okay that I lost _all_ of my _miko_ powers?" She wanted to make sure that it was really all right.

"Yeah." He replied briefly, still not opening his eyes.

"It's okay that I won't be able to shoot purifying arrows anymore?" She asked.

"Yes." The answer was instant. Inuyasha didn't need to think about it anymore.

"Even if I can't see the shards anymore?" She questioned further.

"Yeah." Until now, Inuyasha's eyes were not opening.

"You're not mad?"

"No."

"Even if I—"

"It's okay!" Inuyasha interrupted. "Even if you can't purify shards anymore. Even if you don't remember everything anymore. Even if you think that it's not okay, it will still be okay."

"Really?"

At last, Inuyasha opened his eyes and shot an annoyed look at Kagome. "You worry too much!" He complained.

"Sorry." Kagome bowed her head, staring at her hands that were resting on her lap. "I just feel so useless right now..." She said in a small voice, maybe not wanting Inuyasha to hear.

"Of course you're not!" Inuyasha opposed strongly. "Stop thinking like that! Just stay with us and everything will be fine. We didn't want you to stay just because of your _miko _powers! We want _you_ to stay." He wasn't very good at convincing people but he really hoped Kagome would believe him. All of the things he had said were true.

"So it's really okay? You're not mad?" She gazed up into Inuyasha's eyes, making Inuyasha look into her eyes. The fear and doubt he had seen before were gone.

"_Good." _He sighed mentally. _"Sometimes it really takes time to convince her..." _"If I'm mad at you then you won't be seeing me here right now." He pointed out to her. "And I already told you many fucking times, yes it _is_ okay."

Kagome smiled brightly. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Promise me you'll stop thinking that you're useless?"

"I promise." She replied then covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned.

"Sleepy?"

"A little." She answered, feeling her eyes go heavier every minute.

"Go inside then." He told her.

Kagome nodded and stood up. "Aren't you sleeping?"

"Maybe later." He said, smiling a little.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked him. She didn't know why but she felt uncertain about something—like she didn't want to leave Inuyasha's side.

"I promise I'll go inside later. You go ahead." He said.

She removed Inuyasha's _haori_ from her shoulders to return to Inuyasha. "Here." She said, handing it to him.

"You keep it. I won't be needing it anyway." He said gently to her.

Kagome didn't know why Inuyasha was so sweet to her all of a sudden. Not that she didn't want it... "I won't be needing it too; I have my sleeping bag." She pointed out.

"Just keep it. I'll get it from you later…"

"Okay." Kagome finally gave in. She was about to go inside when she remembered something. "Inuyasha,"

He looked at her and waited for she had to say.

"I just remembered something. Don't you find it unusual that we were able to talk through our minds when the _Ice Lady_ took over my body?" She asked, holding the bottle of Shikon shards in her hand.

"Yeah, it was pretty weird. Do you know how it happened?" He was also confused about that certain event.

"I don't know exactly but I think it had something to do with the shards Naraku placed in my necklace." Kagome started. "I really wanted to talk to you back then and when I saw that you were about to get killed, I suddenly heard your voice in my head. I'm so glad I wasn't able to kill you." She looked down at the fragments on her hand and smiled softly. Three of those had helped them. _"You saved Inuyasha's life and also mine. Thank you." _She thought.

"Yeah, me too." Inuyasha smiled too. "I was so relieved when I heard your voice." He didn't really mean to say it verbally but it was too late.

"Me too." She said, slightly blushing. It wasn't so often that Inuyasha told her his feelings and every time he did, it always made her cheeks flush.

"So... Does that mean you remember everything now?" He tried to change the course of their conversation.

"I think so." Kagome said, still not able to hide her blush. "Well, I'll be going inside now. Good night, Inuyasha."

"Don't wait for me anymore. Just go sleep, okay?"

Kagome nodded and went inside.

"_Sleep well, Kagome." _He smiled as he stared at the last place where he had seen the young _miko_.

-

Kagome prepared her sleeping bag and slipped inside it quietly. She looked around one last time to check on the others. They were all sleeping peacefully. Shippou slept beside Kirara, who was near Sango.

She hugged Inuyasha's _haori _close to her as a contented smile crept on her lips. "Inuyasha..." She murmured, finally closing her eyes. _"I love you." _If only she could say those words to him so easily... Every time she would think about that, she would always remember the night that she had seen Inuyasha and Kikyou together. Slowly, her smile vanished and melancholy filled her heart.

Why couldn't she be completely happy?

"_Inuyasha has chosen Kikyou. I can't do anything to change that... All I can do is stay with him until I can no longer do that..." _She thought sadly, holding Inuyasha's _haori _closer. _"If only Inuyasha's words tonight were true... If only he had chosen me..."_ Silent tears rolled down her closed eyes and that was the last thing on her mind before she fell asleep.

-

Inuyasha stared at the sky again. It was peaceful around him. The shack was isolated so there wasn't much noise to be expected. Only the rustling of nearby trees and the sounds of night animals disturbed the silence. A smile was visible on Inuyasha's face. He was peaceful too. Guilt wasn't that harsh anymore because Kagome understood him. Kagome would stay with him and that was all that mattered. Everything would be fine now.

His thoughts were disrupted when he sniffed something in the air. The scent of tears was so near. Almost so sure that it was Kagome crying, he was about to check on her when another scent mingled in the night air. _"This scent!" _He ran out towards the direction of the familiar scent while his eyes searched the skies for something. It didn't take long for him to see them—Kikyou's long slithering soul-catcher _youkais_.

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A/N: Wasn't that a lovely cliffie? Aw, I loved the fluff and drama here… I almost cried. T-T Next chapter already has a title! "Confrontation of the Three" Doesn't that title look promising or what?


	21. Confrontation of the Three

A/N: Once more, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! So much support from all of my readers! Wow! I'm a proud staff member of Great Inuyasha and Kagome Romance Stories C2 community! I feel so great!

Although I already don't hate Kikyou that much, this chapter is not for Kikyou supporters. I had to make her evil—sorry for the term but that's the only word I thought of—in this fanfic. This fanfic happened in the earlier part of the series so Kikyou is not much portrayed kindly yet… If you're going to put this in the series, it will happen around the time that the first movie had happened—meaning, after episode 56…

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Disclaimer: Okay, now for the legendary magic words! Wait… I forgot one word… I own Inuyasha. Hmm… I wonder what's the missing word… -walks away thinking really hard-

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Chapter 21

_**Confrontation of the Three**_

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Inuyasha tore his gaze away from the soul-catcher _youkais _and went inside the hut to see Kagome.

He couldn't help but smile when his eyes laid on Kagome. She still had Inuyasha's red _haori_ in her arms as she dozed. He wouldn't admit it out loud to her but he really loved to watch Kagome when she was sleeping. It had been one of his favorite pastimes to keep himself from sleeping when they were camping in the forest.

He crouched beside Kagome's sleeping figure silently then tentatively lifted his hand to touch her cheek. _"She was crying…" _Inuyasha thought gloomily, feeling the moisture on her soft skin. He gently wiped the tears that lined her cheeks and whispered, "I promise I'll be back. Don't worry." His hand still didn't leave Kagome's cheeks as he wondered about the reason Kagome had cried. _"Why was she crying?" _He asked to himself.

No answer came to him.

He had to leave soon. He needed to see Kikyou. He needed to know something from her—ask her something important. But somehow, seeing Kagome's tears, it became hard for him to abandon her. _"Will I leave her again?" _Hesitation and worry began to rise in his heart. _"What if something bad happens to her again? I need to be here for her." _He thought, thinking of the horrible instance when Naraku kidnapped Kagome. All of a sudden, he wanted to stay badly with Kagome and never leave her side. He never wanted to lose her again. He'd never be able to live through that situation again.

"Inuyasha… don't go…"

Inuyasha quickly snatched his hand when he heard Kagome's soft voice. He kept still for a moment, thinking that Kagome had stirred, but she kept her eyes closed. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving anymore." He softly spoke the words, hoping to comfort Kagome while she continued to sleep.

Kagome shifted her position and was now facing Inuyasha. "Please… don't go…" She continued to talk even though she was asleep.

"_Is she dreaming?"_ Inuyasha wondered, looking worriedly at Kagome's troubled face. Her face looked dejected and lost.

"Don't go with Kikyou…" She murmured, her voice almost like she was pleading. Maybe she was.

Inuyasha was about to wake her up but he was stopped when Kagome spoke again.

"Why can't you choose me over her?" Her words were faint but Inuyasha had still heard them. _"So that's the reason why she's been crying…" _He fell silent for a while, watching Kagome's face intently. "Why the hell won't you listen to me?! You stupid bitch!" He growled at her, looking pretty annoyed. Now he knew that he really had to go. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek gently as his face softened and became calm. "I told you I chose _you_ not Kikyou…" He spoke in a low voice then stood up to leave.

Once outside, he quickly rushed to follow the scent of the _youkais _he had seen a while ago. He needed to clear things once and for all.

"**I'm already getting tired of him being so protective on me yet he keeps on two-timing me with Kikyou. I know I mustn't pressure him and that these are the consequences for choosing to stay with him—I don't regret my decision—but… when will he be finally decided about his feelings?" Kagome sighed. "But then, I'm also afraid when time comes that he'll be certain about his feelings… I'm afraid that I'll never see him again…"**

"_Kagome has suffered more than enough because of me. I won't let that happen again!" _He thought determinedly to himself. But then again, something Kikyou had said before bothered him.

"**I don't need protection Inuyasha." She said. "All I want is _you_ and you alone. No one can get you from me!" Kikyou said determinedly. "If I have to _kill_ that girl, I will." And she vanished completely.**

"_Did Kikyou really intend those words?" _Inuyasha thought, looking troubled as he continued to run. Soon, he entered a forest and Kikyou's scent in the air became stronger.

He stopped running when he saw bright lights as he approached the clearing of the woods. Slowly, he walked forward, knowing that he would be seeing the resurrected _miko_ in a little while.

A pale green soul-catcher _youkai_ glided past Inuyasha as he continued his steps. Heart racing inside his chest, Inuyasha uttered her name the moment he had spotted her standing in the middle of the clearing. "Kikyou…"

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Kagome suddenly sat up, slowly putting her hand over her right cheek. _"It felt so real…" _She thought, looking dazed as she thought about her dream.

_Inuyasha was standing with Kikyou when Kagome had seen him._

"_Inuyasha let's go now." Kikyou said, extending her hand for Inuyasha to take._

_Kagome immediately run to Inuyasha to stop him from going. "Don't go!" She cried out, sounding almost desperate._

_But Inuyasha didn't seem to see or hear her. He didn't even look hesitant when he took Kikyou's hand and walked away with her._

_Kagome wanted so bad to run after Inuyasha but her legs felt weak under her that she slowly began to sit on the ground. "Don't go…" She repeated, not knowing what else to say. Tears fell rapidly down her pale cheeks as Inuyasha and Kikyou walked farther away—leaving her alone. "Don't go with Kikyou…" Her voice was now only a whisper. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't return anymore. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a hand caress her cheek to wipe her tears away._

"_I told you I chose you not Kikyou."_

_She raised her head to find amber eyes looking back at her. _

She didn't know why but she really thought that it was real. Inuyasha's hand on her cheek. Those words that Inuyasha had spoken to her. She could feel the warmth of his hand on her cheek and even hear his words repeatedly in her mind—or maybe it was all just her imagination? A dream that she really wished was true?

"_Speaking of Inuyasha… where is he?" _She wondered, looking around the single-room cabin for any sign of the _hanyou_. "He promised he'd go inside…" She murmured, looking worried for some unknown reason.

She stood up and went outside to see if Inuyasha was still there but the bench they had been sitting on a while ago was empty. _"Where could he be?" _She sighed, looking down at Inuyasha's red coat in her arms. She sat down on the bench as she felt the cold breeze attack her skin. _"Maybe this might help?" _She thought, pulling Inuyasha's _haori _over her blouse. Warmth filled her body but it was not assuring like she had expected. The anxiety in her heart didn't decrease. Why? Inuyasha wasn't anywhere near her—that was why. The warmth she felt when Inuyasha was around was far better—it always made her feel safe and secure.

"_Inuyasha, where are you?" _

_Swish… _Kagome heard the familiar noise and looked up into the sky. Her eyes widened in realization and fear when she caught sight of one of Kikyou's soul-catcher _youkais _hovering in the black star-filled sky. _"Kikyou! She's here?!" _She immediately stood up, looking surprised and alarmed at the same time. She had a strong feeling that Inuyasha was currently with her. She immediately ran and followed the soul-catcher _youkai_, hoping that she would see Inuyasha soon.

Many thoughts bothered Kagome as she went after the _youkai_ that was going towards the forest's direction.

"_Why is Kikyou here? Does she intend to take Inuyasha with her now? What if she tries to kill Inuyasha again?! I must stop—" _She suddenly stopped on her tracks as she remembered something. _"But what if Inuyasha didn't want me to stop her. After all, he had chosen Kikyou…" _Her face was filled with sadness and loneliness while her heart crushed bit by bit inside her chest. _"I must respect Inuyasha's choice," _She thought, turning around to return to the hut. _"Even if it hurts me so much…" _Tears wanted so much to fall from her eyes but she held them back. There was no use in crying and she knew that it wouldn't do her any good.

As she closed her eyes, a picture of Inuyasha saying goodbye to her flashed before her. That single word that Inuyasha had softly spoken made her heart ache even more. _"I can't!" _She opened her eyes and turned around again.

She was running again—towards the forest. _"I need to see Inuyasha again! Even just for the last time, I want to see him again!" _She thought.

She didn't care about anything else—all she wanted was to see him once again.

-

The night was already deep but the clearing was well lit by the souls that the Shinidamachuu were bringing to their mistress. Kikyou held a soul between her hands then it slowly vanished.

"Inuyasha… you came." Kikyou said, not looking even a bit surprised by his appearance. As usual, Kikyou's face was composed, not giving Inuyasha any clue of what she was thinking or planning that moment.

"Kikyou, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha went straight to his questions. He wanted to finish everything and return to Kagome as soon as possible. He knew that Kagome would be worrying about him if she found out that he was missing. _"She might go looking for me." _He thought worriedly.

Kikyou took her precious time in answering Inuyasha's questions. She stared at Inuyasha silently, watching his amber eyes wait earnestly for her answer. She lifted her hand to order one of her trusted _youkais_ to approach her. "I have something to do here." She told Inuyasha, her eyes not looking at his direction.

Inuyasha didn't get much information from Kikyou's answer. It just left him more puzzled than before. _"What does she mean by that?"_ He wondered, looking confused at the _miko_ in front of him. "Kikyou, I have something to ask you." He said seriously, not taking his eyes off Kikyou.

"_I see… How predictable."_ She thought as the soul-catcher _youkai _she had called drifted away from her. She turned her attention to Inuyasha and said, "What do you need to know, Inuyasha?"

"Last time…" Inuyasha started, still unsure on how he was going to ask her. "Did you mean what you had said? Will you try to… _hurt_ Kagome?" He still tried to convince himself that Kikyou wouldn't try to kill Kagome. He believed that Kikyou was not capable of doing such a horrible act.

Kikyou's eyes flared a little but the rest of her features remained passive. "Did my words bother you?" She asked him.

"Answer me, Kikyou! Did you mean those words?" Inuyasha was getting more worried the longer he stayed with Kikyou. Somehow, he felt that the woman in front of him was not the Kikyou he had loved a long time ago.

"Answer me again Inuyasha. Who will be your choice between the two of us? Will it be me? Or that girl?"

Inuyasha knew his choice already but he was afraid that it might endanger Kagome's life even more. He remained silent, his eyes avoiding Kikyou's intense gaze.

Kikyou didn't like the silence coming from Inuyasha. "Tell me. Do you remember the promise you made to me before?" She asked him.

Of course he did. It had been bothering him lately—because he didn't think he could still keep that vow. Inuyasha slowly returned his eyes to Kikyou, trying to explain to her—to tell her that he couldn't keep that promise anymore. He had promised to stay with Kagome. That was the promise he intended to keep now—and _forever_. "Kikyou, I—"

"I want you to fulfill that promise now, Inuyasha." Kikyou said, looking determinedly into the _hanyou's _eyes. "Go with me."

He didn't avert his eyes from Kikyou. Looking as determined as her, he finally answered Kikyou with pure honesty shining in his amber eyes. "Sorry, Kikyou. I can't."

Kikyou's brown eyes were sparking with different emotions now. The face that she always wore, which effectively hid her feelings, was gone. Her eyes mirrored hurt and betrayal but the most distinguished among them was anger. "Are you telling me that you've chosen the girl over me?" It didn't matter if Inuyasha answered her or not. She already knew the answer to her question. _"Inuyasha, you know that you belong to me yet why do you choose another over me?"_ She thought; her hatred for Inuyasha was getting the better part of her. Ever since she died, she had hated everything that was living. It was because she no longer belonged there. No matter how hard she wished to belong there, she just couldn't fit in—because she was already _dead_.

Why was destiny so unfair to her? Her life was never free. She didn't get to experience a normal life as a woman because she was given the duty to protect the Shikon no Tama. She had already accepted that part of her destiny; it was the path she knew she should take—and she was glad because that was how she had met Inuyasha.

But why didn't things go out like she had wished? Just when she thought that everything would be normal for her. All she wanted was a normal life—with Inuyasha. But then, she died—with hatred in her heart. She had hated Inuyasha. Even though she knew that it wasn't Inuyasha who had killed her, she hated him for living. He was living even though he knew that she had died. _"I thought you also wanted us to be together, Inuyasha." _Kikyou thought resentfully. _"But I was mistaken."_

_Kagome_. That was the name of her reincarnation. The name of the girl that Inuyasha had began to love and cherish. The name that was not supposed to exist if _she_ hadn't died. She also hated her because she was replacing her in Inuyasha's heart. She was the reason why Inuyasha had changed so much. If it weren't for her, Inuyasha would continue to sleep and she wouldn't need to live a cursed life like now—neither human, _hanyou_ nor _youkai_. She was just a dead shell trying hard to survive and _exist_ with the living.

"Is she more important to you?" Kikyou asked again when the silence had stretched too long for comfort.

"I can't leave Kagome…" He said those words with sincerity. "But I still promise to avenge your death! I'll still protect you!" He also said those words with truthfulness. He meant every single word he had said that moment. "But I just can't go with you anymore. I'm sorry but I have to stay—_here_."

"I cannot accept your choice, Inuyasha." Kikyou held her bow tightly and took one arrow from her quiver. "You were asking me if I meant those words I had said before, right?"

Inuyasha's eyes looked alarmed instantly. _"Does she mean that she'll…?"_

Kikyou smiled nastily, eyes filled with hatred and malice. "You'll know the answer soon." She told him. "She's coming."

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Kagome slowed down when she saw the brilliant lights in the forest. She was close. She decided to walk to lessen the noise she would be making. She knew she shouldn't be seen by any of them—especially Inuyasha.

"_This will be the last time I'll be seeing Inuyasha…" _She thought, taking another step forward.

Just a few more steps. She could hear the slithering sound of Kikyou's soul-catcher _youkais_ nearby.

"_I'll just hide behind—"_

"Don't bother hiding, I know you're here." It was Kikyou's voice.

Kagome stopped immediately. _"She knows I'm here?!" _She began to panic, unable to decide if she was going to run, hide or show up.

Inuyasha knew Kikyou wasn't lying when she had said that Kagome was there. He could sense her too. That made Inuyasha more apprehensive. "Kikyou, what are you going to—"

Kikyou interrupted Inuyasha, looking at the direction Kagome was currently standing. "Show yourself." She said in a commanding tone.

Kagome didn't know what had gotten into her but she suddenly started walking forward—towards Inuyasha and Kikyou. It was too late to turn back now.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice was soft but Inuyasha still heard her say his name.

No matter how hard she tried to conceal her feelings, her eyes had betrayed her. She was never good in hiding her feelings. Her chocolate brown orbs reflected hurt and melancholy.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's heart crushed when he saw the look in her eyes. He knew that Kagome was hurt—very much. By some means, he was regretting that he had left her—that he had hurt her once again.

Kikyou frowned when she saw Kagome wearing Inuyasha's _haori_. It only increased the hate she felt for her reincarnation. "As I thought, you came." She said to Kagome, eyes looking piercingly at her. "I guess you wanted to say goodbye to Inuyasha, right?"

Kagome didn't bother looking at Kikyou. She just bowed her head, knowing that she had lost against her. _"So… he is really leaving with Kikyou…" _She thought.

Inuyasha quickly turned his head to look at Kikyou after hearing her words. Her hand clenched the arrow more firmly. _"She's going to kill Kagome!" _He had no doubt anymore. He knew Kikyou was serious about it. He looked at Kagome, who was still looking down on the ground. He had to make Kagome leave or she would die. "Kagome! Get out of here now! You're not supposed to be here!" He said frantically.

Kagome lifted her head at Inuyasha's words, looking surprised. _"Inuyasha… why?" _She wanted to ask but she didn't have the courage. She was afraid of the answer she was going to get. "I know I'm not supposed to…" Her voice soon failed her as tears threatened to fall from her eyes any minute now.

Inuyasha knew Kagome was about to cry. He wanted to comfort her but he knew that a much important task was to be done. He needed to save her from Kikyou first. He ignored her eyes and continued to make her leave. He didn't know how much time he had left but he knew Kikyou would be acting soon. "I told you to leave! Just go away, Kagome!" He said with increasing determination.

Kikyou placed the arrow in her bow and aimed it straight at Kagome. "It's too late, Inuyasha. You can't stop me. She's going to die." And then she fired the arrow.

Kagome looked at Kikyou only to see that the arrow was already released, flying fast towards her. _"I'm going to die? I guess it's okay—since Inuyasha is already going with Kikyou…" _She just closed her eyes, showing her complete acceptance.

"Kagome! No!"

She knew that voice well. It was Inuyasha. _"Goodbye, Inuyasha…" _She thought about all the memories she had with Inuyasha, wanting him to be the last thought in her mind before she died.

She waited for the feeling of the arrow piecing through her chest but it never came. Instead, she felt strong arms wrap around her. She opened her eyes and found Inuyasha hugging her. An arrow was protruding on his back.

"Inuyasha!!!" Kagome cried out, tears immediately flowed. "What do you think are you doing?! It was okay! Why did you have to block the arrow?!"

Inuyasha pulled away gently to look into her eyes. Blood was trickling at the corner of his mouth. "You idiot! How can it be okay?! You were about to die and you were just standing there—waiting!" He winced as he began to feel pain. It was just a simple arrow yet the pain was overwhelming. Kikyou still hadn't lost her touch. His feet couldn't support his weight any longer that he had to hold onto Kagome's shoulders for support.

"I told you it's okay!" She replied, biting her lower lip before continuing. "It's okay since I know you've already decided to choose Kikyou…" She looked away, not wanting Inuyasha to see the pain in her eyes.

"Stupid bitch! Weren't you listening to me before?!" He winced again but he ignored the pain and held Kagome's chin to make her look at him in the eyes. Sincere golden eyes were connected to Kagome's brown orbs. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you? I chose _you_—not Kikyou."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. Things were suddenly very confusing for her. "But I thought—"

"I chose _you_." Inuyasha insisted. "I promised to you that I'd stay, didn't I?" The pain continued to increase and he felt like he was getting weaker every minute that passed by.

She looked at Inuyasha with questioning eyes. Up until now, she still couldn't believe that Inuyasha had just chosen her. "I don't get it, Inuyasha… You also promised Kikyou. Tell me, why did you choose me?" Her eyes looked at him earnestly while her heart raced, knowing that she was finally going to get an answer.

Inuyasha's vision was getting blurry. The bloodstain was getting larger and larger. He placed his hand on Kagome's cheek and smiled gently. "Why did I choose you?" He repeated, pondering about the answer to that question. He wiped her tears and finally realized the truth. Kagome was very important to him. He didn't want her to suffer anymore. He'd give up everything—even his life—just to protect her. "It's because I love you." He said softly, closing his eyes. _"Yes, that is my reason. I'm certain now." _And then he fell on the ground—unconscious.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome quickly dropped to her knees and held Inuyasha's hand. "Inuyasha! Wake up! Wake up!" She pleaded, crying even harder. "Don't do this to me! You promised you'd stay with me, remember? You promised!" Her tears didn't stop falling. She felt the warmth in Inuyasha's hand decreasing slowly. "You can't die!" She said, looking at Inuyasha's face as if expecting him to open his eyes. "You mustn't… I still haven't told you… I love you too." She hoped very much that Inuyasha had heard her.

"If you really want to tell Inuyasha, why don't you just follow him?" Kikyou spoke contemptuously. "Inuyasha's a fool. He just wasted his life trying to save you. You'll still die."

"Kikyou, why are you doing this? Inuyasha didn't do anything wrong to you! Why do you want to hurt him so bad?!" Kagome said, standing up to face Kikyou.

"Inuyasha owes his life to me. He should repay me by going with me to hell." She replied, looking at Inuyasha on the ground.

"Isn't it enough that Inuyasha's protecting you? He's trying his best to avenge your death by pursuing Naraku! Inuyasha still hasn't forgotten about you!"

"He really shouldn't forget me! I am the reason he is still able to walk among the living. Fifty years ago, I could have chosen to kill him but I didn't. Instead, I chose to seal him to sleep for eternity." Kikyou took another arrow from her quiver. "Enough of this useless talk. You have to die now." She stretched the string of her bow and prepared to shoot. "No one's going to save you now." She said.

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A/N: What's going to happen?! Kagome has no _miko _powers. Inuyasha is—I guess—dead. Who will save Kagome?! Sorry!!! It's another cliffie… . -ducks in case my readers are about to throw things at me-

**that-fan**- I would just like to point out that I like to take their relationship bit by bit since you can't just go proclaiming their love in one snap. I understand that you think it's a bit slow on the update of their relationship but I really intended it to be that way since I planned to put lots of conflicts. Inuyasha needs some time to realize his feelings for Kagome so I had it done that way… And about the typos, would you mind if you'd name the chapters so I can check them out? I would really appreciate your help. Thanks!

**Inferna**- Again, I'm sorry for the cliffie… I really can't help it! Wow! I can't believe I had this fic running for almost two long years! O-o I really must improve on the updating… Maybe next year since I'm already going to another school. I just hope things will get lighter for me there… See? Inuyasha checked on Kagome first—_before _he left her! Hehehe… He really had to leave her… Sorry for that.

**Fallen-Seraphan-Gunslinge -**Your review always flatters me! I want to thank you for the very heartwarming review and also say sorry for annoying you because of my love for cliffies. I really can't help it sometimes!And thanks for consoling me with regards to that flame, I really appreciate the kind words. Yeah, you spelled incensed correctly, dear. Don't worry. –smiley-

**The Evil Liar**- Aww… that's really sweet! Your review also turned me into a puddle! I easily get so moved by such reviews! T-T Thank you so much!

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Wow… That was the hardest chapter I wrote in my entire life… The confrontation is always the hard part in the relationship—especially in love triangles.


	22. In the End

A/N: YAY!!!! I'm so happy! Lots of people liked the chapter!!! I'm so proud of myself!!! Thank you very very much for all of your kind supportive words!! And look! No more annoying improper flame! –smiley-

Enough of the author's notes, I present to you the 22nd chapter of Stay!!!

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Disclaimer: Now I remember the missing word!!! I DON'T own Inuyasha! Yay! The magic words are finally complete! Isn't that nice?

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Chapter 22

**_In the End_ **

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Inuyasha opened his eyes to find darkness surrounding him. Everything around him was black. _"Am I dead?" _He wondered. He couldn't feel anything. Maybe that meant he was now dead? _"I must have really fucking bad luck at dodging arrows." _He thought, remembering how he had died.

"**It's because I love you." He said softly, closing his eyes. **

"_Shish! I finally got to tell her that and then I end up fucking dead. Why do I always have to make her cry in the end?!" _He complained, thinking about Kagome. It was dark around him but he knew that Kagome had been crying the moment he fell on the ground. He closed his eyes and thought about Kagome even more. After all, that was the only thing he could do—now that he was dead…

All of a sudden, a voice suddenly reached Inuyasha's ears. "Inuyasha! Wake up! Wake up!"

"_Kagome?!" _He immediately recognized her voice and opened his eyes, expecting to find her looking back at him.

Unfortunately, it was still darkness that greeted him. _"Is this supposed to happen when you're already fucking dead?! I can hear voices yet I can't see things?! This is torture!" _He thought, getting annoyed as he continued to hear Kagome's voice. _"I thought all your senses shut down when you die?!" _

"Don't do this to me! You promised you'd stay with me, remember? You promised!" Her voice was quivering.

"_She's still crying…" _Inuyasha wished deeply that he could open his eyes and speak to her. To tell her that she should stop crying because—because what? He really didn't know what to tell her to make her stop crying but he really didn't want her to cry because of him.

"You can't die!" He heard Kagome plead to him.

"_Kagome…" _

Her voice continued its plea, never giving up on its task to wake him up. "You mustn't… I still haven't told you… I love you too."

"_She what?" _Inuyasha wasn't sure if he had her right. _"She… loves me?" _He paused for a moment and thought about the past events. Kagome was always beside him—he couldn't remember an instance he faced trouble all alone. She was always there to protect him, to cry for him, to care for him, to _love _him.

"**Why don't you blame me for all of your sufferings?" He asked, up until now he couldn't understand her. **

"**It's because it's not your fault." She answered him. **

"**It is my fault!" Inuyasha tried to argue. "If I was able to save you, Naraku wouldn't have used you!" **

"**Even if it's your fault, I still don't blame you." She simply said. **

"**Why?" **

"**Because I don't want to. I can't force myself to hate you." She replied, smiling kindly at Inuyasha. "That's why I'm staying with you, remember?" **

"_So that's why she stayed…" _He thought, realization finally reaching him._ "The reason why she has endured me up until now, the reason why she always returned, the reason why she never blamed me. Of course, she loves me!" _Inuyasha mentally whacked himself—repeatedly—for not knowing it sooner. _"Kagome had accepted me—completely. Human, hanyou or youkai Inuyasha, she didn't give a damn. All that mattered to her was that she was with me." _Inuyasha's thoughts were cut when Kikyou had spoken her threat to Kagome.

"Enough of this useless talk. You have to die now."

"_I forgot! Kikyou's still after Kagome!" _He cursed under his breath, trying to think of something to stop Kikyou. _"Wait! What am I thinking? I'm already fucking dead!" _

"No one's going to save you now." He heard Kikyou's cold voice say.

"_Kagome!!!" _Something suddenly pulsed in him. Was that his heart?

-

"Even if you kill me, you've lost this battle, Kikyou!" Kagome said as she glared at the undead _miko_, who was aiming to shoot her. "You can't have Inuyasha anymore!" Her tears were long gone and she didn't care anymore about what would happen next. She wasn't afraid of Kikyou or death. _"Maybe I'll be able to see Inuyasha again if I die…" _She thought, trying to think of something positive.

"And you can't have him too." Kikyou smiled evilly at her reincarnation. "Inuyasha will still be mine in the end. He will join me in hell."

"Inuyasha doesn't belong in hell! Only you do! Inuyasha is a lot better than you!" Kagome retorted, clenching her fists on her sides.

"Let's just see then. Inuyasha isn't supposed to be with you. Never." Kikyou stretched the string of her bow even more as her eyes flared with nothing but anger and revenge. _"It's your fault that Inuyasha has died!" _She thought, her hands shaking in fury. _"Now, you will finally cease to exist." _She steadied her hands to prepare to release the arrow. "You'll pay for eve—"

"Stop it, Kikyou."

Kikyou's eyes widened upon hearing that voice—_Inuyasha's _voice. _"How…?"_

"_Inuyasha!?"_ Kagome was also shocked when she had heard his voice. The next thing she knew, Inuyasha was no longer lying down in front of her but he was now standing in front of her, facing Kikyou. _"You're alive!" _She thought gratefully. She was about to take a step to approach him but she stopped when she heard Inuyasha snicker.

"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed at Kikyou then raised his hand to pull out the arrow that had been shot on his back. "Bitch, how dare you attack me…" He growled lowly, sending deadly glares at the _miko_ who held her bow in an offensive stance. He threw the arrow aside then flexed his claws dangerously as he continued to growl.

"_What's happening to Inuyasha?!" _Kagome thought, looking worriedly at him. _"Did he—he can't! Tetsusaiga's with him!" _Her heart was beating fast inside her chest as she continued to watch Inuyasha. His claws were longer than usual and his voice was different. _"Inuyasha, what's happening to you?"_

Inuyasha didn't understand what was happening with his body. The only thing he knew was that he had to kill the woman in front of him because she intended danger to him. "I'm going to kill you…" He said gruffly, his blood red eyes looking straight at Kikyou.

The moment Kagome had heard those words from Inuyasha, she was sure—Inuyasha had truly transformed.

Kikyou recovered from her state of surprise and disbelief and readied herself once again. This time, the arrow's target was Inuyasha. "How dare you, Inuyasha! Do you really intend to kill me?" Her eyes burned with hurt but rage still dominated her features.

Inuyasha didn't answer her. He just continued to look at her and growl ferociously.

"Answer me!" Kikyou demanded, pulling the arrow back even more.

Inuyasha's growl became louder and it looked pretty much like he was ready to attack her—and kill her.

"Inuyasha, snap out of it!"

Inuyasha stopped growling all of a sudden as he felt arms wrap around him. He knew that voice. Her scent was also familiar to him. Her scent didn't make his heart worry or panic. Instead, it did the opposite—it calmed him. He looked down at the girl embracing him and lowered his hands, afraid that he might hurt her. Looking curiously at her, he wondered who could she be. He couldn't remember her name but he knew she was someone important—someone that didn't mean him harm.

Kagome, sensing that Inuyasha had somehow settled down, tried her best to talk to him and make him return to normal. "Inuyasha, stop it! Please transform back!" She cried out to him. She raised her head up to look into his eyes and search them for any sign that he understood. "Inuyasha, please come back…"

His blood stopped boiling when he saw those warm brown eyes looking at him. He didn't thirst for blood anymore and he felt safe—somehow. He opened his mouth to speak—this time not to threat an enemy but to comfort someone dear to him. "Don't worry, it's all right now…" He told her gently as his eyes slowly turned amber once again. "I'm back, _Kagome_." He added, giving out a smile to reassure her. Of course he remembered her now, she was the one he had sworn to protect.

"You're really back!" She held back the tears of joy that wanted to fall from her eyes as she gazed at Inuyasha. Her heart was filled with happiness to be looking into his gentle amber eyes once more. "Are you sure you're all right now?" She questioned him, recalling the wound he had because he had blocked the arrow that was supposed to be for her.

"Keh! It was just a scratch!" Inuyasha replied coolly. His eyes shifted towards Kikyou's direction. _"Does she really mean this?" _He thought, still hoping that Kikyou would just leave them peacefully. He placed a protective arm around Kagome's waist and looked at Kikyou confidently. "I thought you were the same person I loved back then but your hatred is something Kikyou would never have. I thought I still loved you but it was just guilt that kept me attached to you. And now that you have proven me that you're not the real Kikyou I know—even with the same soul—you no longer deserve my protection. The moment you tried to kill Kagome, you have freed me from the debt I owed you." He said all of those words without lowering his eyes. He meant every single word that he had spoken.

Kagome was startled when she felt Inuyasha wrapping his arm around her. _"Inuyasha…?" _She looked at him with questioning eyes but he wasn't looking at her—his eyes were directed to Kikyou. And when she heard Inuyasha's words, her eyes widened with every sentence he said. "Inuyasha…" She called to him once again; her voice was meek and uncertain. _"What are you doing?" _She really didn't have a clue of what Inuyasha was planning. She was confused and lost.

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome and knew at once that she didn't understand his words. He gently pulled Kagome to hide behind him, returned his gaze at Kikyou then said something to Kagome, making sure that she would be the only one to hear his words. "Stay with me, Kagome. I'll protect you." He said with full determination.

The doubt and confusion in Kagome's heart vanished promptly after hearing Inuyasha's words. She didn't need any more words from Inuyasha, she understood now. Inuyasha had truly chosen her and he had proven it more than once. There wasn't a word that could describe the feeling Kagome felt in her heart at that very moment. It was not just simple happiness or contentment—it was something more. _"Thank you, Inuyasha."_ She always found herself grateful to Inuyasha. He kept doing things that always made her say those words. She smiled softly at Inuyasha's back and thought, _"Forever, I'll be thankful that I met you, Inuyasha…"_

"I meant every word I said, Kikyou." Inuyasha said with the same firm tone in his voice. His amber eyes weren't gentle anymore but they suddenly looked threatening—almost like his _youkai _side still loomed underneath those amber pools ready to take over whenever needed. "If you try to hurt Kagome again, I will _kill_ you."

Kagome saw that Inuyasha was dead serious when he threatened Kikyou—his eyes told her that. She looked nervously at Kikyou, fearing the next thing that might happen. It was true that Kikyou had tried to kill her but she still didn't think it was reason enough to kill Kikyou. She didn't want Kikyou to die in the hands of Inuyasha—even though Inuyasha did it on his own accord. Kikyou was still part of Inuyasha's life and she still had a place in his heart. She knew that.

But Kikyou didn't care anymore. All she wanted was Kagome's death and she didn't care about the means or the consequences. "So I have to kill you first then?" Her eyes were still filled with anger and more determination to take vengeance as she spoke to Inuyasha. "Prepare yourself Inuyasha! This time it will be straight to your heart. It won't be the arrow of sealing—I will kill you this time!" The arrow on her bow glowed with her _miko_ powers, ready to purify its target.

Kagome acted on instinct. She knew that Inuyasha would surely die if he would be hit by Kikyou's purifying arrow. "Kikyou, don't!"

Too late. The arrow was released, fast approaching its target—Inuyasha's heart.

"No!!!" She screamed and came out of Inuyasha's cover swiftly to block the arrow; her hand was outstretched for some unknown reason. Only one thing was on her mind—she had to protect Inuyasha.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted out her name, seeing the arrow nearing her. His eyes were filled with horror at the possible thing that he knew was about to happen. _"No! Kagome!!!" _

A sudden blast of white light emanated from Kagome's hand, dissolving the arrow that sped towards her.

Kikyou's face looked taken aback then she suddenly fell on her knees, dropping her bow and clutching her chest tightly. "That girl…!" She managed to speak as she panted. Glowing spheres left her body rapidly and sped towards the heavens.

"Kikyou…" Inuyasha looked sorry as he watched the souls leave her clay body. He knew it was going to end soon.

Kikyou looked at Inuyasha with hurt deeply expressed in her eyes. "Inuyasha…" She spoke his name softly—not with anger anymore. Her face softened, reminding Inuyasha of the Kikyou he knew before. "I'm sorry." With her last words said, her body crumbled slowly and returned to what she was made of—grave soil and bones…

Kikyou was finally put to rest.

Kagome still remained motionless, looking at her hand with shock clearly visible on her face. Did she just regain her _miko_ powers? She looked down on the ground where Kikyou once stood and found the shattered clay doll with some bones and grave soil. _"I killed Kikyou…" _She thought, looking horrified.

"Kagome,"

Kagome turned around immediately to face Inuyasha. Her face was frightened and apologetic at the same time. "Inuyasha, I didn't mean to… Sorry." She didn't know what else to say. Then she collapsed to the ground.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha quickly caught her just before she hit the ground and looked worriedly at her.

-

The wind was blowing softly that morning. The sun wasn't too bright, just enough to give off warmth. Inuyasha was standing before Kikyou's grave, looking at the little shrine that housed her remains. It wasn't empty anymore. _"Kikyou, don't worry. I promise to finish Naraku for you." _He thought resolutely. _"Rest peacefully now." _

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Inuyasha entered Kaede's hut silently and looked around the room. Miroku and Sango were nowhere inside the hut when Inuyasha arrived.

Kaede stood up and said to Shippou, "Come, Shippou, help me gather some more herbs."

"Okay…" Shippou answered as he rose up. Before leaving, he threw a worried look on Kagome, who was slumbering peacefully on the _futon_.

On her way to the exit, the elderly _miko_ looked at Inuyasha for a while and said, "Watch her for a while, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha gave a small nod to Kaede. He walked quietly towards Kagome and sat on the floor beside her. His eyes stayed on Kagome's face for some time, looking very concerned. _"She still hasn't come around…"_ He thought. _"Damn it… She's already sleeping for three days! When will she fucking wake up?!"_ He clenched his fists tightly while he gritted his teeth. He always hated it when he didn't have any control on the situation. "Just what the hell were you thinking back there?! You could have died if your _miko _powers didn't return in time to blast that fucking arrow!" He looked angrily at Kagome as if challenging her to answer back. He bowed his head, hiding his eyes from Kagome's sleeping form. _"You just don't know how scared I was when I thought that you might die." _He lifted his head and looked at her again.

No change. Still, her eyes remained closed.

He growled softly as he watched her. "Do you plan to see me dead of worry first before you decide to wake up?!"

Silence persisted.

Inuyasha sighed in defeat. _"Damn, I must really look stupid now! I'm actually talking to a sleeping girl!" _He thought to himself, running a clawed hand through his long silvery white mane.

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Sango and Miroku were sitting on a grass field, talking to each other. Their recovery was made faster when they came to Kaede's village. Inuyasha was worried sick when Kagome still haven't woken up after a day's sleep that he decided to bring the young _miko _to Kaede.

"So, houshi-sama, what do you think happened?" Sango asked curiously while she played with Kirara's ears.

"Inuyasha had finally decided to choose between Kikyou-sama and Kagome-sama." Miroku replied knowingly.

"Eh? Really?" The _taijiya_ exclaimed, looking amused. "You mean Inuyasha chose Kagome-chan? Since Inuyasha came with her, right?"

Miroku nodded in agreement. "I also think he did. Since, Kikyou-sama is already gone. The only thing I'm not sure is how Kikyou-sama died…" He looked at Sango then continued, "Inuyasha said that Kagome-sama has already recovered her _miko_ powers… Do you think Kagome-sama—"

"Kagome-chan will not do something like that!" Sango interrupted to defend her friend.

"I'm not saying she did it on purpose." He pointed out. "Maybe she did it accidentally to protect herself or something…"

Sango bit her lip at the thought. "Poor Kagome-chan… She must be suffering greatly to know that she had to kill Kikyou…" She said, sympathizing with Kagome.

"I just hope Inuyasha would be able to say something to ease Kagome's worries…"

"Yeah, me too. Let's just hope he doesn't act like a jerk—even just this time."

Miroku shrugged. He wasn't so sure that the odds were pretty good for that one.

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Inuyasha heaved out a sigh for the nth time. _"What's taking her so long to wake up?!" _He thought impatiently as he stared at her. Out of nowhere, he remembered Kagome's words before she fainted.

**Kagome turned around immediately to face Inuyasha. Her face was frightened and apologetic at the same time. "Inuyasha, I didn't mean to… Sorry." **

"_At that time, Kagome looked afraid. She must think that I'm mad at her." _Inuyasha mused. _"None of that was her fault. I'm just glad that she's safe…After all, it's already good that Kikyou is put to rest. At least, she doesn't need to suffer any long—" _

Inuyasha's heart stopped for a moment. Kagome had just stirred.

"Kagome? Hey! Kagome! Can you hear me?" He looked pretty much like an excited dog. "Kagome?" He looked closer at her face and narrowed his eyes. "Bitch… Are you playing with me?" He growled.

He was answered by a light snore from Kagome.

"Keh!" He muttered, standing up. He began pacing to and fro, tired of doing nothing but sitting on the floor. A sudden thought popped in his mind. _"Maybe something bad happened to her back there… But Kaede said Kagome was just exhausted because she suddenly used all of her miko powers." _He paused then looked down on Kagome. _"Yeah, she's just tired. She's going to wake up soon."_ He thought, trying to reassure himself.

Another rustling sound came from Kagome. She shifted her position; she was now lying on her side and facing Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stopped pacing straight away and crouched beside Kagome. "Kagome? Oi! KA-GO-ME!" He looked at her expectantly, hoping hat she would finally open her eyes. "Kagome… you…" He growled then sighed, trying to control his temper. "If you don't have any plans of waking up, will you stop moving around and getting my hopes high?!" He muttered under his breath then stood up again. He was really having a hard time in containing his temper… He began walking back and forth again, thinking that it was really far better than sitting beside her and waiting.

"Inuyasha…"

"What?" He snapped, still continuing his pacing.

"Would you stop walking around? You're disturbing my sleep." Kagome replied, still looking very sleepy.

Inuyasha froze in his position, eyes gaping at Kagome.

"Thank you." Kagome said, stretching her arms as she yawned. She gave Inuyasha a puzzled look and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

That was when he finally realized that _Kagome_ had just spoken to him. Kagome was awake—at last! "Kagome! You're awake!" He exclaimed, crouching beside her again.

"Of course, I'm awake!" She answered, looking at Inuyasha like he was saying something so obvious. "It's not like I've been sleeping for a long ti… Oh!" She suddenly gasped when she remembered that she _had_ in fact been sleeping for a long time. "How long have I been sleeping?" She asked him, sitting up.

"About three fucking days." Inuyasha answered, helping her sit up. "About time you open your eyes!" He added, glaring a little.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Inuyasha." Kagome said, taking a look at the bottle of Shikon shards hanging around her neck. _"So I did recover my miko powers…"_ She thought, half-relieved at the sight of four untainted pieces of Shikon no Tama. She bowed her head to avoid Inuyasha's eyes and said, "I'm also sorry… about Kikyou. I really didn't mean to do that to her…"

"_As I thought, she was worried about that." _Inuyasha thought, his face softening. "You idiot! It's not like I'm blaming you for that to begin with! Of course you didn't mean it!"

Kagome still kept her eyes averted from Inuyasha. "But Kikyou wouldn't be dead if I—"

"Kikyou's dead a long time ago, Kagome." He cut in. "All you did was return her to where she rightfully belong. She's suffered more than enough…. Besides…" Kagome still wasn't looking at him. "Besides, if that didn't happen, you could have died… I wouldn't prefer that. Don't you remember? I would have killed Kikyou too if she tried to hurt you." _"And I meant to do that without any hesitation—if that means I will be able to protect you…"_ Inuyasha thought.

She slowly raised her head and stared at Inuyasha, looking deeply moved. "You really meant that?" She asked softly.

The answer was instantaneous. "Yeah."

Kagome looked taken aback with Inuyasha's reply. "Huh?" Did she hear him right?

"I said, yeah, I'm serious about that." Inuyasha repeated, blushing brightly. "Is there something wrong with your ears?" He asked, trying to stop the blush on his cheeks.

"Not really…" She replied, smiling warmly. "It's just that I didn't expect you to answer me like that." _"It's the first time Inuyasha actually managed NOT to be a jerk at times like this. I never thought I'd be using the word 'romantic' to describe Inuyasha!" _She thought with amazement.

"Keh!" He looked away, still blushing.

"You look cute when you're blushing." She commented, giggling lightly.

"What?! Who said I'm blushing?!" Inuyasha demanded, blushing even more.

"See!"

"I'm not blushing!!!"

"Yes, you are."

"Of course not!"

"You also look cute when you're denying things." Kagome told Inuyasha, smiling brightly like a little kid.

"You are annoying when you're smiling like that." Inuyasha grumbled back.

Kagome didn't say anything but she just laughed at Inuyasha.

"Agh! You're more annoying when you're laughing!!!"

More of Kagome's laughter filled Kaede's hut. Kagome was really having the time of her life.

Of course, Inuyasha wasn't—but maybe a bit. After all, Kagome was happy. That was something that would make him happy too… even if it was irksome at the same time.

-

"Naraku," A little girl approached Naraku, carrying a small round mirror with her.

"Kanna, what happened to the girl?" Naraku asked with interest.

"Kikyou… is dead." She answered with her creepy, light voice.

"Really?" Naraku smirked, looking keenly at his detachment. "Who killed her?"

"Kagome did."

"Are you saying that she regained her _miko_ powers?" His smirk immediately vanished while he clenched his fist, glaring at Kanna.

"Yes."

"_Damn it… That girl! She isn't going to be easy to kill now…" _

-

"Inuyasha, I think I need to sleep again." Kagome said, her eyes feeling heavy once again.

"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Aren't you tired of sleeping?!"

"I _am_ tired that is why I'm sleeping." The young _miko_ pointed out, resting her back on the soft _futon_.

"Fine, wench." He sat down properly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Go to sleep."

Kagome complied willingly and closed her eyes. After a minute, she opened them again. "Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"You're not leaving me, right?" She asked.

"I'm not leaving, Kagome. Just go to sleep." Inuyasha replied.

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to break your back if you break that promise." She looked at him cautiously.

"Are you going to sleep or do you prefer arguing with me?" He returned, looking slightly ticked off.

"I prefer sleeping, thank you." She answered with a fake smile then went to doing just that.

"_Don't worry; I'll be here when you wake up." _He thought, hoping that Kagome would hear that certain thought to reassure her.

Maybe it did because Kagome was smiling as she dozed…

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A/N: Ugh! I hate doing that Naraku scene. Anyway, I just did it to give him some credit before Stay ended… With that aside, I have a surprise! Stay is going to end next chapter! Next chapter will be an epilogue already. Now, Inuyasha/Kagome fluff will be great next chappie! After I finish Stay, I'll be doing an AU Inuyasha fanfic so watch out for that! Again, thanks for reading!!!

Aw… Poor Kikyou, Kagome beat her… Hehe… I'm really sorry that Kikyou had to be an antagonist in this fic… Now, let's get on with the thank yous!

**mew-xena** – Yay! You reviewed again! Thanks for staying around! Now that you've read this chapter, you know what really happened… –sweatdrop-

**Pan24** – Thanks for agreeing with me. I really like to take their relationship slowly since even the series took their relationship sloooowwwlllyyy… Right? Thanks for the wonderful review!

**chibiNeko192** – Thanks for reviewing again! Wow… You're one of my constant reviewers already! Cliffies are evil but I can't help using them. Sorry.

**Kiara-Star** – Yeah, Inuyasha's last words –sob- Thanks for reviewing again! Sorry about the cliffie and well… now you know it's not Inuyasha's last words… -smiley-

**shangxiang10** – See? They were both saved! Hehe… Too bad for Kikyou though… Thanks for the review!

**The Evil Liar** – You made me emotional again… -sniff- Your review always has emotions. You know how to make people smile! I'm not on the Favorite Author's List of THAT many people. I have some bunch of people but I'm not that great. This is actually the first Inuyasha and anime fanfic I've ever written and I was so surprised to get this much response! I thank all of my readers for that. About Kagome, she is clueless since she really thought all the while that Inuyasha chose Kikyou. I mean, who wouldn't after she had heard Inuyasha say to Kikyou that he loves her _very much_. Well, I'm clearing that line in this chapter. Yay! More Inu/Kag fluff on the way! Thanks for your support!

**animemistress419** – Wow! I'm glad you liked it! I worked real hard for that one. Thank you for appreciating my efforts. Now, the love triangle is finished! Phew…

**Smiles1022** – Yay!!! Another one who loves my story! How I came up with this stuff? I thought of the main conflict and the fluff and other twists just followed as I typed the chapters! It's really quite surprising, even for me! I hope they also make this a movie or something like that… -smile- But I think it won't pass. Hehe… Wow! You reviewed twice! Thanks!

**Inferna** – Aww… You're still here! Sorry for taking so long with the updates. Thank you for saying you won't forget this fanfic soon, I like to hear that since Stay is ending soon… :( Anyway, I'm also glad Inu confessed already! And yeah, you're right since it was just a _simple_ arrow NOT exorcising arrow.

**Horselvr517** – Sorry for the cliffie. I really had to end it there. Forgive me, please? –puppy eyes- BTW, thanks for saying that the story is good.

**YuniX-2** – I always love reading your reviews! You give me something to think about!! About Kikyou, she really wants to drag Inuyasha to hell. If you watch the episode closely, Kikyou is actually pulling Inuyasha downwards into a hole (towards hell I guess). If she just wanted to freeze time, she could just do that without pulling Inuyasha downwards, right? And also, Kikyou knows that she doesn't belong in this world and she can only be with Inuyasha when Inuyasha dies and they'll be together in hell. Did you get me? I hope you did. –sweatdrop- About the disclaimer, I did say the disclaimer _still _even though it was indirectly. You do not need to say it always. Readers already know that. You won't sue me, right? –crosses my fingers tightly-

**that-fan** – Aww… That was a flattering review. Thanks for saying that! You write Evangelion fics? Wow! Do you know that Evangelion has one of the most complicated social conflicts ever in Anime history? Of course, you do. Anyway, I salute you for that!

**Fallen-Seraphan-Gunslinge**– I hope you don't jump too high when you read this one. I'm so glad you'll really read this fanfic till the end—which is very very near already. Thank you for all the wonderful words. Your long review always boosts my writing inspiration and I thank you very much for that. About my age, well, it's a personal question and I hope you don't get mad if I can't tell you my exact age. All I can say is that I'm not yet 18 and I'm very surprised when you said that I sound like I'm already 21! That was really shocking! –grins- I can't believe I sound so mature! Lol! Again, thanks and please review again!

**Ryguy5387** – Apology accepted. It's good to know you're still around. Thanks for the compliment and I hope you'll be able to read the ending and review that one too!

**Kinchi** – Another loyal reader! Thanks for staying around! Yeah, Kikyou is evil… in this story. I better make one where she isn't _that _evil… Hmm… And the cliffie, sorry about that. The cliffie was really mean but I really had to stop there to keep my precious readers interested with my story (and maybe interested in killing me too –sweatdrop-) Yeah, it really is hard to update now… School reasons again…

**Courtnie** – Yay! A new reviewer!!! You didn't leave your address… Anyway, Thanks for reviewing and telling me such great words! I feel so great! You've read a lot of stories and I'm glad you enjoyed reading mine! Don't worry, it is a happy ending. –smiley-

**Satsuki-Noriko **– Thanks for reviewing AND saying you can wait. A lot of stuff has happened and I really need patient readers. Thanks for being one! Knowing you're one of my readers made me really happy!

**undercovervampire **– You're really a vampire?! Hehe… Just had to ask that one. Sorry. Anyway, YAY! Thanks for adding me and my story to your fave list! It always makes me so happy. Aspiring authors get pretty elated by that simple action. It's a big deal for me. Thanks for the wonderful comment!

**irish77 **– Another new reader! Yipee! Welcome to my fanfic! I'm so happy you found it! How did you find it??? Hehe… Just curious. Thanks for dropping by and hope to see you again!

**RogueSummersLover**– Now this one is a regular reader! You're still here! –sprinkles confetti in front of my monitor- Hooray! Thanks for staying around! You're so kind! The cliffies are already sent to hell—with or without Kikyou—I don't care. As long as she stays out of the picture. Hehe…

**hersheykiss1012 **– You're so correct! I have read a lot of stories and even if they may have the same main plot the twists make them different from one another so that's all right! A lot of movies also have the same main plot and they don't get sued or whatsoever! That flamer definitely didn't know anything. Argh! I hate it when someone says something bad without any proofs. Oh well… let's just forget her. So happy you still reviewed! I hope you didn't fall off your seat yet… Hehe…

**animals-rule – **Of course I remember! Hehe… You reviewed before… I just don't remember the exact chappie… Anyway, I'm glad you're back! Thanks for dropping a review!

**InuFreAK247**– WOW! Really WOW! I can't believe you actually bothered to review ALL as in A-L-L of my chapters! You're very very very very… nice—no you're god-sent! You just don't know how very thankful I am to have you as my reviewer! Thank you so much for your patience and kindness! The words you've written were very heartwarming! I really appreciated each one of them! How did you find my story? Well, I'm also glad you found it. About one of your reviews though, Kagome _couldn't _sense the shards. Maybe you missed that part in that chapter. She kept on saying that and she didn't even sense Kouga when he came. You can check it again if you like. Thanks again!

**Tish **– Yay! Another new reader! Welcome! Welcome! I hope you enjoyed reading this fic because I really enjoyed writing it—up until now! Thank you for reviewing!

**WildTotodile** – You've got a friend when you reviewed! Her name's Lilly, right? You two were funny! I hope you visit me again this chappie! About that friend of yours who will love this fic, I hope she does like this. Maybe you can tell me her name this time? Or are you referring to Lilly already? Er, as you can see I'm a little confused. But thanks for the review! –smiley-

**cartoonfan **– Sorry for taking so long. Thanks for reviewing! You're new too, right? I hope you enjoyed reading my fanfic!

**iMmOrTaLwOuNd**– O-o I can't believe it… I just got a review from one of my fave authors! YAY!!!! –jumps up and down- You actually read all of my stories!!! Thank you so much! About your story having the same storyline as mine, I really don't think we'll have the same… Mine's almost finish anyway. Don't worry, I'm not planning to sue you or anything. I'm actually glad I found your story! I hope it will be successful someday! I wish you good luck! It's okay if you prefer to read my story later, I'm so glad that you spent time to read my other stories too. Btw, yes, I know how to speak Tagalog. How come you can speak Tagalog too? That's interesting…


	23. Precious Moments Together

A/N: Okay, so many were shocked when I broke the news that Stay would be ending next chapter… Yeah, I know it was pretty nasty of me but I really intend to end it at chapter 23. Well, it's obvious that I haven't killed Naraku because I wanted this fanfic to be treated as a long (very loooong) episode that can be inserted in the Inuyasha series. I just did this fanfic to resolve the love triangle between Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyou. I really didn't plan to kill Naraku in this fanfic because I still don't have enough information to do an ultimate conclusion on the whole Inuyasha series. So after you read this, you can still go and imagine all the adventures they'll be having afterwards! That's good enough, right?

Inuyasha/Kagome fluff for all of you! I hope you like it! This will be my last author's note for Stay and I really want to thank all of you for reading my work and bearing with me! Thanks for patiently waiting for my delayed updates and for tolerating any typos, wrong spelling and grammatical errors I've committed throughout this fanfic. Also, thanks for all the wonderful reviews that made me improve pretty much, made me cry and laugh at the same time and even made me think about something… It's really nice to think from time to time. Hehe… Even those e-mails that I receive just to say hi! I really appreciated all of those stuffs! Another big thanks to all of the people out there who placed me in their favorite authors list and authors alert list and my story in their favorite stories list! It's been a great honor for me! Thank you very much for everything! You've been great company for almost two years of writing this fanfic!

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Disclaimer: For the last time in this fanfic, I'm going to say it. Nope, Inuyasha is not mine. But I think Rumiko Takahashi has already agreed—okay… I'm shutting up already to get on with the epilogue… Wait! The song in this chapter isn't mine either. It just fits Inuyasha and Kagome so I decided to put it there. It's a lovely song. –smiles sweetly-

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Chapter 23 (Epilogue)

**_Precious Moments Together _**

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Kagome suddenly woke up and found herself staring at the ceiling. There was no light inside the room but she could still make out her surroundings. She cringed her eyes then looked again. She sighed mentally when the room didn't change. She was definitely not inside that creepy room again—the room where Naraku had kept her when he had kidnapped her. She looked around and saw everyone sleeping peacefully. Kaede was sleeping on her usual place inside the hut. Miroku and Sango also rested in their respective places—with a good distance between them. Shippou slept together with Kirara, who was curled beside Sango contentedly.

And Inuyasha?

Kagome smiled softly when her eyes laid on her beloved _hanyou_. She shifted her position and rested on her side so she could look at him comfortably. There he was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed, slumbering quietly. She didn't know why she always felt good when she watched Inuyasha sleeping. She loved to watch Inuyasha sleep; she preferred doing that than sleeping herself. Perhaps it was because she seldom saw Inuyasha sleep or perhaps she found it amusing that a hotheaded, violent _hanyou_ could actually look calm in some circumstances. One of those must be the reason _plus_ he really looked cute when he was sleeping.

Her smile even got wider when she remembered Inuyasha's promise. _"He kept his promise!"_ She thought happily.

**"You're not leaving me, right?" She asked. **

**"I'm not leaving, Kagome. Just go to sleep." Inuyasha replied. **

**"Promise?" **

**"Yeah." **

Inuyasha didn't usually sleep with them inside the hut when they stayed at Kaede's village so Kagome was really glad when he did._ "I guess he's really afraid to have his back broken." _But she was still happy anyway. He stayed when she asked him to, that was something special to her.

She continued to stare at him silently, contented and grateful that he had stayed. Quite occupied with her thoughts about the snowy white-haired boy dozing in front of her, she began to hum a song that she had known since she was little—and now she realized how that song reflected her feelings.

"If I never knew you

I'd be safe but half as real

Never knowing I could feel

A love so strong and true

I'm so grateful to you

I had lived my whole life through

Lost forever

If I never knew you…"

She stood up, trying to be quiet as much as possible, and made her way towards the exit. She was tired of sleeping so she decided to take a look at the stars outside and have a breath of fresh air too. She always loved to watch the night sky, especially when there were a lot of stars.

"Wow…" She gasped softly at the beautiful star-filled sky above her. The stars that night were plenty and all of them were shining brightly to Kagome's delight—pretty much like diamonds sprinkled on a black cloth. The moon was bright and round, illuminating a fair amount of light too.

"What do you think are you doing?"

Kagome slightly jumped at the sudden voice but calmed down immediately. She knew the owner of that voice. She spun around and saw Inuyasha standing behind her. "Inuyasha! Don't go surprising me like that!" She scolded him, keeping her voice down so she wouldn't disturb anyone.

"Keh! I was just asking you!" He defended, narrowing his eyes at her.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked, dismissing their previous conversation. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I should ask you the same question!" He replied. "Do you know that it's pretty late already?!"

"I was tired of sleeping. I've been sleeping the whole day! I need to move my muscles." She explained, massaging her arms lightly. "Besides, I also like to watch the sky." She added, looking up at the sky once more. She heard Inuyasha sigh behind her.

"Come." Inuyasha said, standing beside Kagome.

"But I don't want to go back inside yet." Kagome whined, pouting a little.

"Who said we're going back inside?" Inuyasha said, squatting to offer his back to Kagome. "Come on."

Kagome was confused but she clambered onto Inuyasha's back.

Inuyasha wasted no time and began to speed away from the village.

"Inuyasha, where are we going?" Kagome asked while they passed by more houses silently like they were thieves trying to escape.

"You said you wanted to watch the sky." He replied to Kagome.

Still, Kagome didn't understand Inuyasha's point. "I was already doing that before we left." She told him.

"I know," said Inuyasha. "But it's better here." He stopped on top of a hill that was overlooking the whole village. He carefully put Kagome down and said, "You can see more sky here."

It was true. Kagome could practically see all of the village houses and the planting fields. The sky seemed wider there and the landscape was breathtaking. Even though the whole place was dim, the stars made it look very enticing. She turned to stare at Inuyasha with astonishment and gratitude in her eyes. _"He really brought me here just so I can watch the sky?" _She thought, appreciating the sweet deed Inuyasha had done for her. _"He's really unpredictable sometimes…" _She could feel her heart beating faster and her stomach seemed to be filled with fluttering butterflies."Um, thank you…" She said, blushing slightly. She looked down at the grass awkwardly so she didn't have to look at Inuyasha. She could feel that she was blushing even more and she didn't want Inuyasha to see that.

Inuyasha didn't notice Kagome's blush because he was busy trying to hide his own blush when Kagome had thanked him. "Keh! It's not like I did something special." He said defensively, crouching on the grass-covered floor.

_"But you did." _Kagome thought, glancing at the _hanyou_ from the corner of her eyes. She sat down beside Inuyasha and looked up at the night sky. "Do you often come here?" She asked curiously while her eyes stayed fixed on the stars above.

Sensing that Kagome's eyes weren't turned to him, Inuyasha turned his head to look at Kagome. "Not really. I just go here when I want to be alone." _"And when you're on the other side of the well." _He mentally added, tilting his head upwards to see the sky as well.

"It's pretty nice here." She said, smiling again.

Then silence. The silence wasn't deafening or irritating. It was warm and comforting. The silence between them meant understanding and contentment. Inuyasha was used to silence because he didn't like talking much but this silence was different. He liked—no, loved this silence—the peace that he found only when he was with Kagome.

"Your voice…" Inuyasha started.

"Huh?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha with puzzlement in her eyes.

Inuyasha wasn't looking at her; he just kept his eyes on the stars as he continued. "Your voice… it's nice." He said with sincerity.

"You mean…"

"I heard you singing… a while ago." Inuyasha explained then added with a slight blush on his cheeks, "I liked the song."

Kagome couldn't help the blush that was spreading all over her face. "I thought you were sleeping." She told him, shifting her gaze to the houses below them.

"I was," said Inuyasha simply. "but your voice woke me up."

"Sorry about that." She said in return.

"I wasn't really asking for an apology, you know." He said, looking at her directly with his eyes partially annoyed.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha sideways then smiled. She didn't know why but she did the moment she looked at Inuyasha. "I like that song too." She said, returning her gaze to the stars with that smile still on her lips.

_If I never knew you _

_If I never felt this love _

_I would have no inkling of _

_How precious life can be _

_-_

_And if I never held you _

_I would never have a clue _

_How at last I'd find in you _

_The missing part of me _

_-_

_In this world so full of fear _

_Full of rage and lies _

_I can see the truth so clear _

_In your eyes _

_So dry your eyes _

_-_

_And I'm so grateful to you _

_I'd have lived my whole life through _

_Lost forever _

_If I never knew you _

Inuyasha thought about the past events that had transpired and how everything had led him closer to Kagome. Out of nowhere, a thought haunted Inuyasha's mind like a ghost. _"What if I never knew Kagome?" _He thought out of curiosity. _"Keh! Then the Shikon no Tama wouldn't have returned, Naraku wouldn't have returned, Kikyou wouldn't have returned, I wouldn't have to go searching for stupid Shikon shards…" _He glanced at the girl sitting beside him and thought,_ "And I'd still be fucking asleep and pinned on the Goshinboku. Alone and anguished…" _

"Kagome,"

"Hm?" Kagome turned to him with a beautiful smile on her lips.

_"Do you think it was better if I didn't know you?" _He wanted to ask her but he already got the answer the moment he saw Kagome's smile. A smile that clearly said 'I'm glad that I'm with you, Inuyasha.' "Nothing." He said, smiling contentedly to himself.

"I thought you were about to say something…" She said, looking somewhat disappointed.

"I forgot." Inuyasha said plainly.

"Fine. Don't tell me anymore." Kagome sighed in defeat and returned to her previous musing.

_If I never knew you _

_I'd be safe but half as real _

_Never knowing I could feel _

_A love so strong and true _

_-_

_I'm so grateful to you _

_I had lived my whole life through _

_Lost forever _

_If I never knew you _

_"What if I never knew Inuyasha?" _Kagome thought, taking a quick look at the _hanyou_ beside her. _"I wouldn't be bringing the Shikon no Tama back here, I wouldn't be facing any dangerous youkais… and I would be like any normal high school girl thinking about school and how to get to college. But I know that that's not what I really want…" _

"Inuyasha," She said his name to catch his attention. She needed to ask him something.

"I remember now." He said, still not looking at Kagome's direction.

"Huh?"

"The thing I was going to tell you." His eyes glanced sideways to check if Kagome was listening. Of course, she was. She always listened when he had something to say. _"Well, most of the time." _Inuyasha thought. This time, he turned his head towards her so that his eyes were looking straight at her. "I'm glad that I have met you." He said, a small but warm smile painted on his lips.

Kagome smiled softly at Inuyasha's words. She didn't have to ask anymore to get an answer from Inuyasha. "Me too."

_I thought our love would be so beautiful _

_Somehow we made the whole world bright_

_-_

_I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong _

_All they'd leave us where these whispers in the night _

_But still my heart is singing _

_We were right _

"I almost forgot to return it."

When Inuyasha turned his head, Kagome's hand was outstretched to him, giving him his red _haori_.

"Keep it for a little longer." He told Kagome, not taking the fabric from her. "It's cold here, you'll need it. Just return it later."

Kagome murmured her thanks then replaced the warm clothing around her. She loved having Inuyasha's _haori _around her. It always made her feel safe and warm—like Inuyasha was hugging her. He would always give it to Kagome whenever there was danger to protect her—even if it meant that he would be hurt in return. _"He always protected me… from everything. Even from Kikyou." _Kagome lightly leaned her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and smiled contentedly at the starry heaven. _"As long as Inuyasha's beside me, everything will be all right. I'll be safe." _

_If I never knew you _

_If I never knew this love _

_I would have no inkling of _

_How precious life can be _

_-_

_There's no moment I regret _

_Since the moment that we met _

_If our time has gone too fast _

_I've lived at last..._

Inuyasha immediately blushed at Kagome's action but he soon relaxed when he saw the contented smile on her lips. A smile crept on his own lips as he thought, _"You're safe now, Kagome. I'll never leave your side again." _

He didn't notice it much before but he realized now that he was happy whenever he lent his _haori _to Kagome. He didn't know why exactly—probably because he felt that he was protecting her or _more probably _he really liked the way Kagome looked when she wore his _haori_. _"Okay, so she does look a little cute." _Inuyasha agreed to the voice speaking in his head. _"And there's no fucking way that I'm going to let that wimpy wolf take her away from me." _He thought possessively.

"A wishing star!" She removed her head from Inuyasha's shoulder quickly and turned to him. "Come on! Make a wish!" She said brightly.

"Keh! I don't need it! You're the one who saw it anyway." He scowled. "You should be the one making a wish." He pointed out.

"I know but I thought I'll just give it to you." She replied thoughtfully.

"I told you I don't need it." Inuyasha repeated stubbornly.

"You don't want to make a wish?"

"I don't have any." Inuyasha replied indifferently.

"You don't have any?" Kagome repeated. "How come?"

_"Because I already got you." _He thought but he didn't say that. "Because I don't have one, okay?!" Inuyasha snapped. _"That's enough for me…" _

"You wasted that wishing star!" She said, sulking a little but she cheered up after a few seconds. _"Oh well, I also can't think of anything to wish for at that moment."_ She thought._ "Maybe he really can't think of one too…" _

_I thought our love would be so beautiful _

_Somehow we'd make the whole world bright _

_I thought our love would be so beautiful _

_We'd turn the darkness into light _

_And still my heart is singing _

_We were right… _

_We were right _

"I think it's about time that we come back." Kagome said, standing up. "Maybe we can start the quest again tomorrow morning." She added, knowing Inuyasha would be very happy to get back to business.

Inuyasha also stood up then looked at Kagome. "No, we shouldn't leave the village yet." He said.

"Why?" She asked, looking a bit surprised that Inuyasha didn't want to go shard hunting.

"Maybe the day after tomorrow. We all need some rest." He said casually, bending his knees to help Kagome get onto his back. _"You need some more rest."_

Kagome smiled gratefully before climbing on Inuyasha's back. "Let's come back here again some other time. I like this place a lot." She told Inuyasha. The next thing she knew, they were running swiftly back towards the village.

"I'm glad you liked it." He whispered to her.

Kagome's smile didn't vanish for the rest of their trip.

_And If I never knew you _

_I'd have lived my whole life through _

_Empty as the sky _

_Never knowing why _

_Lost forever _

_If I never knew you _

Upon arriving at Kaede's cottage, Inuyasha gently settled Kagome to her feet. "Are you sleeping again?" He asked her.

"Maybe a few hours." She answered, taking Inuyasha's _haori_ off and giving it to him. "Are you coming inside?"

He took his _haori _from Kagome and wore it. "Inside?" He took a glance at the mat that covered the entrance of the hut and was surprised to see two sets of eyes peeping from inside. He blinked his eyes and the eyes were gone. _"Nosy people…" _He thought to himself.

"Inuyasha?"

"Okay, I'm going inside." He finally said.

"Really?" Kagome sounded overjoyed.

"Yeah." He said and walked inside. He paused a moment to look around the room before he went to his previous spot on the corner.

Kagome went to her sleeping bag and lay down.

"Don't plan to go outside anymore, okay?"

Kagome smiled. "Good night too, Inuyasha." And she slept peacefully once again.

-

Morning came and Inuyasha wasn't in the hut anymore. Kaede went outside to give some offerings at the shrine and to visit her sister's grave. Kagome and Shippou were still asleep while Miroku and Sango were preparing breakfast.

"I told you Inuyasha was with Kagome-sama last night." Miroku said knowingly to Sango then smiled lecherously. "I wonder what they did the whole evening…"

"Eh?!" Sango blushed instantly. "What are you thinking about?! We're talking about Inuyasha and Kagome-chan here!"

"So what? Now that Inuyasha has finally resolved his feelings, I don't think there's nothing wrong if—"

"So you _were_ spying on us! You lecherous _bouzu_!" Inuyasha angrily barged in, pointing an accusing finger at Miroku.

Miroku gently pushed Inuyasha's finger aside and said, "Now, now, Inuyasha. We were just concerned about Kagome-sama. We thought that she might be in trouble again."

"You were thinking of something _else_." He stated matter-of-factly, knowing Miroku very well.

"Of course not, Inuyasha!" He denied, trying to look hurt by Inuyasha's words. "But do tell me Inuyasha, did you finally get to—"

"Agh! Shut up!!!" Inuyasha hurriedly interrupted, turning his back to them. "I'm getting out of here!"

"Inuyasha, wait!" Miroku held Inuyasha's sleeve to stop him from leaving. "You don't need to be shy about it…"

"Shy about what?" Kagome asked while she wiped sleep from her eyes. "Good morning everyone!" She greeted brightly.

Miroku released Inuyasha's sleeve that made him crash to the floor. "Okay, Inuyasha, you can go now. We'll just ask Kagome-sama about the details." He said, turning his interest towards Kagome.

"Details?" The young_ miko_ looked at Miroku's excited face then to Sango's 'Miroku's-doing-it-again' face then to Inuyasha's extremely horrified face. "Details about what?"

Of course, Miroku was more than glad to answer Kagome. "About what you and Inu—"

Before Miroku could complete his statement, Inuyasha quickly placed his hand over his mouth and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?!" He asked, blushing terribly.

"Inuwathya, I khent bweadh." Miroku said even with Inuyasha's hand over his mouth.

"You can breath through your nose!" He retorted.

"I twougt gyou thwer lheabhing?"

"I changed my mind." He said. "Now shut up and don't ask stupid questions, okay?" He gave Miroku an 'Agree or Die' look so Miroku wasn't left with much choice.

"Ofhay."

Inuyasha took his hand off and sat on the floor beside Miroku, looking very relieved.

Miroku placed his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and said happily, "So I guess I'll just have to ask you some other time, right?"

Inuyasha immediately showed his sharp claws to Miroku and growled.

"But then again, maybe not." He quickly said while laughing nervously and edging away from Inuyasha.

Kagome didn't have a single clue of what their conversation was all about. She looked at Sango quizzically and asked, "Sango-chan, what exactly are we talking about here? Miroku-sama said he was going to ask me about details… details on what?"

"Details? Oh yeah, details!" Sango said, trying to keep it cool even though she could feel Inuyasha's eyes on her. "Details on how—um, how to cook ramen! I guess…" _"Wow, that was so sensible." _She thought with full sarcasm.

"Ramen?" Kagome said, not looking quite convinced.

"Of course ramen!" Miroku came to Sango's rescue. "Inuyasha loves to eat ramen and we thought of making some for him! Right, Inuyasha?" He turned to Inuyasha for some more help.

"Keh!" Inuyasha ignored him and folded his arms in front of him.

_"Ungrateful bastard…" _Miroku thought, throwing a glare at Inuyasha. "Well, anyway, I guess I'll just go get Kaede-sama so we can eat breakfast. Be right back!" He said, hastily rising up and going outside.

"I thought he was going to ask for the _details_?" Kagome said, looking at Sango questioningly.

Sango shrugged uncaringly. "Maybe he doesn't want to know anymore."

-

Everyone was silently eating his or her breakfast inside the cottage—well, except for Inuyasha and Miroku. Miroku really wanted to say something but he still hadn't managed to say one complete sentence without Inuyasha cutting him.

"Inuyasha, will you—"

"No."

"Do you—"

"No."

"I was just going to—"

"Shut up."

"Will you listen firs—"

"No."

Miroku sighed in defeat. He really wasn't going to get what he wanted from Inuyasha. He looked at Kagome and his eyes sparkled with new hope. Maybe…

"Kagome-sama can you please—"

"That's it!" Inuyasha put his bowl and chopsticks down and did the same with Kagome's. "Kagome, come with me." He stood up and took Kagome with him outside.

"Hey! But I'm not yet finished eating!!!" Kagome's protest could be heard from outside as Inuyasha continued to drag her.

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" Miroku called out to them.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!!"

-

Back inside the hut, all of them looked at the direction of the exit with bewilderment etched on their faces.

"What happened just now?" Shippou asked; his food had been suspended halfway to his mouth.

"I don't have any idea…" Kaede said, returning to her food.

"What's Inuyasha's problem? I was just trying to ask him to hand me the plate of fish." Miroku said, looking clueless like the others.

Silence for two seconds then Sango giggled.

-

"Inuyasha, can you tell me why we are here?" Kagome asked curiously after spending ten minutes of silence in the same hill they had visited last night. It was not far away from the village but still far enough from prying eyes of any meddlesome villagers.

_"And Miroku."_ Inuyasha added mentally. After hearing Kagome's question, he didn't move or open his eyes. He just continued to lie down on the soft grass with his hands at the back of his head.

"Inuyasha!"

"Shish Kagome! Will you keep your voice down? I can hear you, okay?!" He finally spoke, scratching his head but still not opening his eyes.

"How will I know when you're not answering me?!" She argued, throwing annoyed glares at Inuyasha. "Aren't we going back to finish breakfast?" She asked.

"I thought you wanted to go here again." He said.

"It would have been better if we went here _after _I finished my breakfast." She said, looking at him sourly.

At last, Inuyasha opened his amber eyes and looked at Kagome seriously.

"What?" Kagome demanded, still very annoyed with him.

"You're so hard to please." He said then turned his gaze to the bright blue sky.

"And you're such an annoying jerk." She replied with pure honesty.

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear Kagome because he didn't answer anymore—or maybe he was ignoring her.

_"Why do I have to be stuck with him this morning?!" _She grumbled in her head. Finally getting tired of doing nothing but glower at the _hanyou _resting next to her, she also allowed herself to recline on the inviting, green meadow. She also looked at the sky and began to lighten up. It was such a nice day. The white clouds floating on the peaceful blue heavens looked very soft and comfortable. Kagome began to wonder how it would feel to be able to sleep on those clouds. _"Maybe… it isn't bad to be stuck with him after all…" _She thought, turning her head to look at Inuyasha, who was lying beside her. As soon as she did, she found herself looking into Inuyasha's eyes. Her cheeks turned red at once and she found out that she couldn't look away from him. Her eyes seemed to be magnetized to Inuyasha's golden yellow orbs.

"Are you still mad at me?" Inuyasha asked, looking doubtful.

Kagome would have managed to giggle at how much Inuyasha looked like a little lost puppy but she was still busy trying to stop herself from blushing. "No—well, not anymore." She managed to say.

"Good." Inuyasha smiled in relief at her.

Kagome smiled back before returning her gaze at the sky.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?" She looked at Inuyasha again only to find that he hadn't taken his eyes off her yet.

"I'm sorry about leaving you again that night..." His eyes reflected his true emotions and Kagome clearly saw that Inuyasha was truly sorry.

"It's okay…" She smiled to reassure him. "You've returned to me, so it's okay."

"How come you always say it's okay?"

"Because it _is_ okay. I'm so glad that you're alive." Her eyes lingered for a moment before she looked up at the clouds again. "You really made me worry… when you blocked that arrow."

"Well, you made me worry too! You were actually just standing there!" Inuyasha said, also looking at the sky. "I was scared when I thought that you might die…"

"I thought you already decided to go with Kikyou..." Her reply was soft as she remembered that night.

"You always love to jump into stupid conclusions!" He scolded her.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, I'll try to lessen them; don't worry." She told him.

"You should or I'm going to get mad at you." He said determinedly. "And promise me one thing." He added.

"What is it?"

"Promise me you wouldn't go blocking arrows for me anymore." Inuyasha told her. "It's pretty scary, you know."

"Only if you promise me you'd do the same." She countered. "You don't have much good luck in dodging them, you know."

"Forget I said anything." He said. _"Of course I can't promise that. Whenever you're in danger, I'll be there for you. Who cares about damn luck?!" _

"No promises made then." She said with a triumphant smile. _"I want to protect you too, Inuyasha. Let me."_ "Can I tell you something?" She asked, looking directly at him.

Inuyasha turned his head as well to look at her and waited for what she had to say. His eyes looked quite interested that he kept them connected with Kagome's warm brown eyes.

"Remember the moment you stopped that arrow from hitting me?" She started.

"How could I forget? That hurt like hell!" Inuyasha told her, rolling his eyes.

"So you do remember." She concluded, ignoring his jesting. Inuyasha was still looking at her with high interest, maybe because he didn't know where she was leading him. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I still haven't told you my answer."

"Answer?" One of Inuyasha's eyebrows was raised and his face told Kagome that he was still clueless. "Did I ask a question?" He asked hesitantly.

Was he really that dense? Kagome knew Inuyasha was never good in picking up clues here and there to come up with a complete idea. He always needed to be given the thought _directly_. "I love you, idiot! There! That's my answer!" Kagome said in frustration.

Inuyasha blinked, eyes wide with wonder. "Answer to what?"

"To you!" She answered hastily.

"Really?" He sounded rather amused.

"Do you really think that I hate you?" She asked, glaring a little at him.

Inuyasha smirked. "You look cute when you're pissed off." He said, his smirk widening.

"You were playing around, weren't you?" She accused, her chocolate brown eyes burning. She really wanted to wring Inuyasha's neck at that moment—or maybe twist that mouth of his so he couldn't smirk anymore.

"Maybe." He sat up and gave Kagome another arrogant smirk.

"Jerk." Kagome muttered under her breath before sitting up.

"I wasn't actually expecting any reply from you." He was all of a sudden serious again when he said those words. "I already knew that."

Kagome couldn't understand how Inuyasha managed to change his mood so fast. One moment he was this annoying, playful jerk with a matching irksome smirk on his face and the next, he'd be this serious, caring guy with beautiful amber eyes. But even if she didn't understand, she didn't care. _"It's part of Inuyasha, that's all I need to know." _She thought. "How did you know?"

"I heard you." Inuyasha replied in an 'Isn't-it-obvious?' voice.

"You should have said so!" Kagome exclaimed, blushing furiously. "If you did, I wouldn't have said it anymore!"

"If I did say that, I wouldn't have heard you say it again." He explained, smiling mischievously at her.

"You're so unfair. You made me say it twice but you only said it once!" She protested, pouting her lips.

"Since when did we keep track of the number of times we'll say 'I love you' to each other?!" He replied, looking taken aback.

"Fine, never mind." She slumped her shoulders, giving in to Inuyasha. _"Guess I really can't force him to say something he doesn't want to say." _She sighed mentally. She hugged her legs close and placed her chin on top of her knees, looking down at the grass.

Inuyasha had been watching Kagome all the while. _"Is she really THAT upset?" _He wondered, feeling guilty little by little. "Do you want to go back now?" He asked, eyes not precisely looking at her.

"Okay…"

"Are you all right?" He asked again, looking a little bothered.

She looked at him briefly to give a faint smile. "I'm fine."

_"You don't look FINE." _He wanted to tell her. But instead he kept silent and stood up. A lump was forming in his throat and he kept glancing worriedly at Kagome.

Kagome did the same but she kept her head bowed down. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _"Why am I acting this way? Inuyasha cares for me. I know he loves me. He already told me… he just doesn't want to say it often." _She thought, slowly cheering up. She raised her head with a smile on her lips and said, "Okay, let's—"

"I love you." Inuyasha said the words in a low voice but he knew that Kagome would be able to hear them—well, he hoped so.

"What did you say?" She looked at Inuyasha with wide eyes, unsure of what she had heard.

Making sure he had his eyes safely turned away from Kagome, he repeated the same three words—a bit louder this time, "I said I love you."

"You what?"

"I said I LOVE YOU! Okay?!" He said, shouting the three words loud and clear.

"You do?" Kagome looked like she couldn't believe Inuyasha's words.

"Great. After I had said it three fucking times in a row, you doubt me. Just great." He said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Wench, are you toying with me?" He asked, looking irked.

Kagome smiled sweetly. "No." She said simply.

Inuyasha didn't know how she did it but the instant she smiled at him, he didn't feel even a bit annoyed. Somehow, she made him feel light and relaxed.

"… I believe you."

No more words followed.

Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha knew how it happened but the next thing they knew, both of them had their eyes closed and were leaning forward to share their very first kiss. Words weren't enough to describe it; all they knew was that it felt just right to be kissing each other.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as he continued to kiss Kagome. Her lips were warm and soft that send a tingling wonderful sensation through his body. He deepened the kiss, not getting enough of Kagome. _"I'll never be alone again…" _He sighed to himself.

Kagome's heart was beating loudly inside her chest. _"I can't believe I'm finally kissing Inuyasha!" _She thought happily, smiling contentedly. _"Finally, I can say that I'm truly happy. As long as Inuyasha's here with me…"_

When Inuyasha and Kagome pulled apart to gasp for air, Kagome smiled at him. "I thought you'd never say that to me." She told him.

"Keh! I was going to… I just needed some motivation." Inuyasha said defensively.

"Yeah, a _lot_ of motivation." Kagome agreed, grinning. "A lot of beatings, several holes in your stomach and an arrow shot to your back."

"Well, at least I already said it!" He said, still defending himself.

"Yeah, I'm glad you did." She said sincerely. "Let's go home? Let's walk this time."

Inuyasha nodded and began walking while Kagome strolled on his right side.

The two had just finished coming down the hill and they still had a long way to walk.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha shyly.

"Huh?" He looked at Kagome sideways but kept on walking.

"Can I… um, hold your hand?"

Inuyasha didn't know why he kept on blushing but he did. After a few moments of awkward silence, he said, "Keh! Capricious wench!" Then he took Kagome's hand and held it lightly.

"Thanks." Kagome murmured, holding Inuyasha's hand gently. A contented smile tugged on Kagome's lips as they continued their walk. Their walk might be long but she didn't care—she was holding Inuyasha's hand. Inuyasha would never leave her again.

-

"Kagome, you'll stay here with me, right?" He held Kagome's hand more securely as if afraid that she would suddenly let go and leave him.

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Even after we kill Naraku?"

Kagome squeezed his hand lightly and smiled softly. "Yes, I'll still stay with you." Her reply was certain and true. _"I'll never change that decision anymore." _

Inuyasha smiled in satisfaction. "Good." He looked down at their linked hands and thought, _"Because I never want let go of this hand again."_ "I'm not losing you again, Kagome…" He promised to Kagome and to himself.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen." She replied with a smile.

-

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A/N: The END! Stay is now officially finished. Now, after reviewing, don't forget to brush your teeth… Remember, too much sweetness is bad for your teeth. See you on my next fanfic, people! Thanks for your time!


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